Gordon, N · Developmental medicine and child neurology · 1988 · DOI
This is a review article about myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a serious condition that causes extreme tiredness, muscle pain, and cognitive difficulties. The author examines what was known about ME in 1988, including how it affects the brain and nervous system, and discusses different theories about what might cause it.
This historical review documents how ME was understood by pediatric neurologists in the late 1980s, providing context for the evolution of diagnostic criteria and disease recognition. It is valuable for understanding the medical landscape before ME/CFS became more widely studied, and highlights which clinical features were recognized as important early on.
As a narrative review rather than an original research study, this article does not present new experimental data or establish causation of any mechanisms. It reflects the understanding and consensus of 1988, and many observations and theories discussed may have been superseded by subsequent research. The review cannot establish definitive diagnostic criteria or treatment efficacy.
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
Gordon, N (1988). Myalgic encephalomyelitis.. Developmental medicine and child neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.1988.tb04808.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-gordon-1988-myalgic-encephalomyelitis,
author = {Gordon, N},
title = {Myalgic encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Developmental medicine and child neurology},
year = {1988},
doi = {10.1111/j.1469-8749.1988.tb04808.x},
note = {PubMed: 3068084},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gordon-1988-myalgic-encephalomyelitis},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gordon-1988-myalgic-encephalomyelitis
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