Katz, Ben Z, Jason, Leonard A · Current opinion in pediatrics · 2013 · DOI
This review examined teenagers who developed chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) after infections like mononucleosis. About 13% of teens had ME/CFS six months after infection, dropping to 7% at one year and 4% at two years. The good news is that teenagers generally recover better from post-infectious ME/CFS than adults do.
This study provides epidemiological data showing that postinfectious ME/CFS in adolescents is often self-limited with better recovery outcomes than in adults, offering a more optimistic prognosis for younger patients. It identifies specific physiological markers—particularly autonomic and cytokine abnormalities—that may help diagnose ME/CFS when standard clinical assessments cannot, advancing diagnostic precision in pediatric populations.
This review does not establish causative mechanisms or prove that infection directly causes ME/CFS; it documents associations only. The study cannot determine whether identified biomarkers (autonomic dysfunction, cytokine changes) are causes or consequences of the illness. It also does not provide evidence that the treatments reviewed are effective, only that certain pathophysiological differences exist between recovered and non-recovered adolescents.
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
Katz, Ben Z & Jason, Leonard A (2013). Chronic fatigue syndrome following infections in adolescents.. Current opinion in pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0b013e32835c1108
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-katz-2013-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Katz, Ben Z and Jason, Leonard A},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome following infections in adolescents.},
journal = {Current opinion in pediatrics},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1097/MOP.0b013e32835c1108},
note = {PubMed: 23263024},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/katz-2013-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/katz-2013-chronic-fatigue
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