Collin, Simon M, Nuevo, Roberto, van de Putte, Elise M et al. · BMJ open · 2015 · DOI
This study compared how ME/CFS affects children, teenagers, and adults by looking at patient data from clinics in the UK and a trial in the Netherlands. The researchers found that ME/CFS looks quite different depending on age: younger children were more likely to have sore throats and less likely to have problems with thinking or memory, while teenagers were more prone to headaches and depression. Adults showed more severe fatigue and disability overall.
Understanding that ME/CFS presents differently in children versus adolescents versus adults is critical for accurate diagnosis and appropriate clinical management. This study helps pediatricians recognize disease patterns specific to younger patients, potentially reducing diagnostic delays and improving care strategies tailored to each age group.
This study does not prove what causes the age-related differences in ME/CFS presentation or whether they reflect different underlying biological mechanisms. It is observational data showing associations, not experimental evidence, and cannot establish whether these differences result from developmental factors, disease progression, or other unmeasured variables. The secondary analysis nature of parts of this work also means some findings require independent confirmation.
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
Collin, Simon M, Nuevo, Roberto, van de Putte, Elise M, Nijhof, Sanne L, & Crawley, Esther (2015). Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is different in children compared to in adults: a study of UK and Dutch clinical cohorts.. BMJ open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008830
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-collin-2015-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Collin, Simon M and Nuevo, Roberto and van de Putte, Elise M and Nijhof, Sanne L and Crawley, Esther},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is different in children compared to in adults: a study of UK and Dutch clinical cohorts.},
journal = {BMJ open},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008830},
note = {PubMed: 26510728},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/collin-2015-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/collin-2015-chronic-fatigue
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