Garralda, M Elena, Rangel, Luiza · Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2002 · DOI
This review looked at studies of ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) in children and teenagers over 20 years. The main symptom is severe tiredness along with other physical symptoms that stop children from doing normal activities. Most cases seem to start after an infection, and many children also have mood problems like depression. Treatment involving family support, gradual increases in activity, and help with mood disorders showed promise, with over two-thirds of children improving.
This review establishes that childhood ME/CFS is a recognized, distinctly impairing condition worthy of clinical attention and further research investment. Understanding the high prevalence of mood co-morbidities and documenting positive treatment responses provides important clinical guidance for pediatricians and informs family-centered care approaches.
This review does not establish causation—the reported association between infections and CFS onset, or between personality factors and CFS persistence, remains correlational. The review cannot determine prevalence or true epidemiology since it focused on clinic-attending children; the actual burden in the broader community remains unknown. Recovery rates cited (>2/3) apply mainly to more severely affected children already engaging with specialist services and may not reflect outcomes in milder cases.
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
Garralda, M Elena & Rangel, Luiza (2002). Annotation: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in children and adolescents.. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00010
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-garralda-2002-annotation-chronic,
author = {Garralda, M Elena and Rangel, Luiza},
title = {Annotation: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in children and adolescents.},
journal = {Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1111/1469-7610.00010},
note = {PubMed: 11902596},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/garralda-2002-annotation-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/garralda-2002-annotation-chronic
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