Jenkins, R · British medical bulletin · 1991 · DOI
This review examines the history of post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS), including early outbreaks of what we now call ME/CFS, and how doctors have understood and tracked this illness over time. The author notes that cases are not officially recorded by health authorities, making it hard to spot when the condition becomes more common in communities. The review explores important questions about how the illness is defined, why some people develop it after infections, and how psychological factors relate to the physical symptoms.
This historical review is important because it documents that ME/CFS has a pattern of epidemic and endemic presentation, establishing it as a legitimate public health concern rather than a purely individual clinical problem. Understanding this epidemiological history helps patients and researchers recognize that the condition is not new and has been observed in organized outbreaks, supporting biological and infectious models of the illness.
This review does not establish the specific cause(s) of PVFS or prove whether psychological factors are primary or secondary features of the illness. As a narrative review of historical cases, it cannot prove causation or the strength of associations between viral infection and subsequent fatigue syndrome. The review also does not provide new clinical trial data or systematic evidence synthesis.
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
Jenkins, R (1991). Post-viral fatigue syndrome. Epidemiology: lessons from the past.. British medical bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a072523
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-jenkins-1991-post-viral,
author = {Jenkins, R},
title = {Post-viral fatigue syndrome. Epidemiology: lessons from the past.},
journal = {British medical bulletin},
year = {1991},
doi = {10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a072523},
note = {PubMed: 1794093},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jenkins-1991-post-viral},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jenkins-1991-post-viral
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