Goldenberg, D L, Simms, R W, Geiger, A et al. · Arthritis and rheumatism · 1990 · DOI
This study looked at whether people with chronic fatigue also have fibromyalgia, a condition involving widespread muscle pain and tender points. Researchers examined 27 patients with debilitating fatigue lasting at least 6 months and found that 70% of them had the widespread pain and tender points typical of fibromyalgia. This suggests that many people with chronic fatigue may also have fibromyalgia.
This early study documents a high frequency of fibromyalgia features in ME/CFS patients, suggesting these conditions frequently co-occur. Understanding this overlap is important for clinicians evaluating ME/CFS patients and for researchers studying whether these represent related or distinct pathophysiological processes.
This study does not establish whether fibromyalgia causes ME/CFS, whether they share common underlying mechanisms, or whether they represent different manifestations of the same disease. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality or temporal relationships, and findings from a single primary care practice may not generalize to all ME/CFS populations.
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
Goldenberg, D L, Simms, R W, Geiger, A, & Komaroff, A L (1990). High frequency of fibromyalgia in patients with chronic fatigue seen in a primary care practice.. Arthritis and rheumatism. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.1780330311
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-goldenberg-1990-high-frequency,
author = {Goldenberg, D L and Simms, R W and Geiger, A and Komaroff, A L},
title = {High frequency of fibromyalgia in patients with chronic fatigue seen in a primary care practice.},
journal = {Arthritis and rheumatism},
year = {1990},
doi = {10.1002/art.1780330311},
note = {PubMed: 2317224},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/goldenberg-1990-high-frequency},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/goldenberg-1990-high-frequency
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