Carlo-Stella, N, Cuccia, M · Reumatismo · 2009 · DOI
This Italian study surveyed patients diagnosed with ME/CFS to understand their symptoms and backgrounds. The researchers found that Italian patients with ME/CFS experience persistent fatigue along with symptoms that resemble infectious illnesses, neurological problems, and joint/muscle issues—similar to what has been reported in other countries.
This study provides important documentation that ME/CFS affects Italian populations similarly to those in other countries, supporting the international recognition of the condition. It also highlights a critical gap in European research—the need for epidemiological studies and validated treatments specific to Mediterranean populations, which may experience or respond to the disease differently.
This cross-sectional study cannot establish causation or disease mechanisms; it only describes what symptoms and demographics were observed at one point in time. The study does not validate any treatments or establish prevalence rates of ME/CFS in Italy, nor does it prove that Italian patients differ meaningfully from other populations—only that the profile is similar.
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
Carlo-Stella, N & Cuccia, M (2009). Demographic and clinical aspects of an Italian patient population with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Reumatismo. https://doi.org/10.4081/reumatismo.2009.285
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-carlo-stella-2009-demographic-clinical,
author = {Carlo-Stella, N and Cuccia, M},
title = {Demographic and clinical aspects of an Italian patient population with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Reumatismo},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.4081/reumatismo.2009.285},
note = {PubMed: 20143004},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/carlo-stella-2009-demographic-clinical},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/carlo-stella-2009-demographic-clinical
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.