Kim, S E, Chang, L · Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2012 · DOI
Many patients with ME/CFS experience overlapping conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and jaw pain. This review looked at what ME/CFS and similar conditions might have in common. The researchers found that these disorders likely share several underlying problems: how the body processes pain, changes in brain activity, possible past infections, immune system problems, and genetic factors that make some people more vulnerable.
Understanding shared mechanisms across functional syndromes like ME/CFS could explain why patients often have multiple conditions simultaneously and may reveal common therapeutic targets. This review provides a framework for identifying overlapping biological vulnerabilities that could guide more integrated treatment approaches and research priorities for ME/CFS patients.
This review does not establish causation or prove that a single pathogenic mechanism explains all functional syndromes. It does not identify which shared factors are primary drivers versus secondary consequences, nor does it confirm specific mechanisms apply equally across different conditions. The review synthesizes existing hypotheses rather than providing new empirical evidence.
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
Kim, S E & Chang, L (2012). Overlap between functional GI disorders and other functional syndromes: what are the underlying mechanisms?. Neurogastroenterology and motility. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2982.2012.01993.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kim-2012-overlap-between,
author = {Kim, S E and Chang, L},
title = {Overlap between functional GI disorders and other functional syndromes: what are the underlying mechanisms?},
journal = {Neurogastroenterology and motility},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2982.2012.01993.x},
note = {PubMed: 22863120},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kim-2012-overlap-between},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kim-2012-overlap-between
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