Davies, S, Crawley, E · Archives of disease in childhood · 2008 · DOI
This study looked at young children under age 12 with ME/CFS at a specialist clinic in Bath, UK. The researchers found that even very young children (including one as young as 2 years old) can have ME/CFS and experience severe disability, with symptoms almost identical to those seen in teenagers. Children in this age group attended school only about 40% of the time on average and reported high levels of fatigue and pain.
This study demonstrates that ME/CFS affects children in primary school with substantial severity and that diagnostic criteria developed for adults remain applicable to very young patients. Recognition of ME/CFS in this age group is critical for early identification and appropriate management, as severe functional impairment (40% school attendance) can occur even in young children.
This study does not establish why ME/CFS develops in young children or whether symptom patterns in children under 12 differ from those in younger age groups due to biological differences or reporting bias. The cross-sectional design cannot determine disease progression, outcomes, or whether early intervention alters the natural history of illness.
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
Davies, S & Crawley, E (2008). Chronic fatigue syndrome in children aged 11 years old and younger.. Archives of disease in childhood. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2007.126649
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-davies-2008-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Davies, S and Crawley, E},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome in children aged 11 years old and younger.},
journal = {Archives of disease in childhood},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1136/adc.2007.126649},
note = {PubMed: 18192312},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/davies-2008-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/davies-2008-chronic-fatigue
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