Keijmel, Stephan P, Saxe, Johanna, van der Meer, Jos W M et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2015 · DOI
This study compared people with Q fever fatigue syndrome (a fatigue illness that develops after a specific infection) with people with ME/CFS to see if they were similar. Researchers found that both groups experienced similar levels of fatigue and emotional distress, but had some differences in their backgrounds and how they thought about their symptoms. The study suggests that physical activity might play a role in fatigue for both conditions, and that treatments focusing on behavior changes could potentially help people with Q fever fatigue syndrome.
Understanding whether Q fever fatigue syndrome and ME/CFS share similar underlying mechanisms helps researchers identify which treatments might work across post-infectious fatigue conditions. The finding that physical activity relates to fatigue severity in both groups could inform rehabilitation approaches, though careful progression is essential given the risk of symptom exacerbation in ME/CFS.
This study does not establish causation—finding that physical activity correlates with fatigue does not prove activity level causes the fatigue or vice versa. The cross-sectional design captures only a single time point and cannot determine whether cognitive-behavioral variables actually maintain fatigue over time. The findings in QFS may not generalize to all ME/CFS patients, as the two groups showed important differences in demographic and symptom characteristics.
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
Keijmel, Stephan P, Saxe, Johanna, van der Meer, Jos W M, Nikolaus, Stephanie, Netea, Mihai G, Bleijenberg, Gijs, et al. (2015). A comparison of patients with Q fever fatigue syndrome and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with a focus on inflammatory markers and possible fatigue perpetuating cognitions and behaviour.. Journal of psychosomatic research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.07.005
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-keijmel-2015-comparison-patients,
author = {Keijmel, Stephan P and Saxe, Johanna and van der Meer, Jos W M and Nikolaus, Stephanie and Netea, Mihai G and Bleijenberg, Gijs and Bleeker-Rovers, Chantal P and Knoop, Hans},
title = {A comparison of patients with Q fever fatigue syndrome and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with a focus on inflammatory markers and possible fatigue perpetuating cognitions and behaviour.},
journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.07.005},
note = {PubMed: 26272528},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/keijmel-2015-comparison-patients},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/keijmel-2015-comparison-patients
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