Csef, H · Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 1999 · DOI
This study looked at three conditions—chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivity—to see if they share similarities. The researchers examined how these conditions might be related to each other based on their common features. Understanding these connections could help doctors better recognize and treat patients who experience overlapping symptoms across these conditions.
Many ME/CFS patients also experience fibromyalgia symptoms or report chemical sensitivities, making it clinically important to understand whether these conditions share common biological pathways. Recognizing these similarities could improve diagnostic accuracy and suggest shared treatment approaches. This work supports the concept that ME/CFS may be part of a spectrum of related conditions rather than an isolated disease.
This review does not establish causation or definitively prove that these three conditions are variations of a single disease process. It does not provide new experimental evidence or identify specific biological mechanisms. The lack of presented data means individual findings cannot be verified or their statistical significance assessed from this publication alone.
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
Csef, H (1999). [Similarities of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity].. Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946). https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1225879
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-csef-1999-similarities-chronic,
author = {Csef, H},
title = {[Similarities of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity].},
journal = {Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)},
year = {1999},
doi = {10.1055/s-0029-1225879},
note = {PubMed: 10081482},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/csef-1999-similarities-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/csef-1999-similarities-chronic
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