Buskila, D · Current opinion in rheumatology · 2000 · DOI
This review article examines the connections between fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and myofascial pain syndrome. Researchers found that people with these conditions often have tender points in their muscles, hormonal imbalances affecting stress response, and possible immune system involvement. The study suggests that talking therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy may help manage chronic pain in these conditions, and that children and adolescents with these illnesses often improve over time.
This review synthesizes evidence connecting neuroendocrine dysfunction, potential microbial triggers, and autonomic nervous system abnormalities across overlapping pain and fatigue syndromes. Understanding these shared biological mechanisms may help identify common pathways for ME/CFS and guide development of targeted interventions, while the reported favorable outcomes in children provide prognostic hope.
This review does not prove causation for any proposed mechanism, nor does it establish that Mycoplasma infection causes ME/CFS (detection does not equal causation). The review also does not provide evidence from controlled clinical trials, and the broad scope examining three related but distinct conditions limits conclusions about ME/CFS specifically. Cross-study comparisons may reflect publication bias and varying case definitions.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Buskila, D (2000). Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain syndrome.. Current opinion in rheumatology. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002281-200003000-00005
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-buskila-2000-fibromyalgia-chronic,
author = {Buskila, D},
title = {Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain syndrome.},
journal = {Current opinion in rheumatology},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1097/00002281-200003000-00005},
note = {PubMed: 10751014},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/buskila-2000-fibromyalgia-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/buskila-2000-fibromyalgia-chronic
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.