Gordon, Jeoffry B · Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2021 · DOI
This review looks at how childhood abuse and neglect can affect physical health in adults. The authors found that these traumatic experiences are linked to many chronic diseases, including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. They recommend that doctors routinely ask patients about their childhood experiences as part of standard medical care.
ME/CFS is explicitly mentioned as one of several chronic conditions associated with childhood maltreatment. Understanding potential connections between trauma history and ME/CFS pathophysiology may inform more comprehensive, trauma-informed clinical approaches and could help identify subgroups of ME/CFS patients who might benefit from targeted interventions addressing ACE-related pathways.
This review does not establish causal mechanisms linking childhood trauma to ME/CFS or define the biological pathways involved. The study cannot determine whether CAN directly causes these diseases, contributes to disease severity, or simply correlates with other risk factors. It does not provide evidence for specific treatments or interventions.
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 →
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Primary citation
Gordon, Jeoffry B (2021). The importance of child abuse and neglect in adult medicine.. Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173268
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-gordon-2021-importance-child,
author = {Gordon, Jeoffry B},
title = {The importance of child abuse and neglect in adult medicine.},
journal = {Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173268},
note = {PubMed: 34499948},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gordon-2021-importance-child},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gordon-2021-importance-child
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