Lloyd, A, Hickie, I, Wakefield, D et al. · The American journal of medicine · 1990 · DOI
This study tested whether a high-dose immune protein treatment (intravenous immunoglobulin) could help people with ME/CFS. Researchers gave 49 patients either the treatment or placebo and measured changes in fatigue, mood, physical function, and immune markers. More people who received the treatment reported significant improvement and returned to work and activities compared to those who received placebo, suggesting immune system problems may play a role in ME/CFS.
This early-stage evidence supports an immunological basis for ME/CFS and demonstrates that immune-directed therapy can produce clinically meaningful improvements in some patients. The finding helped establish that ME/CFS may be more than psychological and warranted further investigation of immune system dysfunction in disease pathogenesis.
This study does not prove that intravenous immunoglobulin is an effective standard treatment for all ME/CFS patients, as fewer than half of those treated responded and the mechanism of action remains unclear. The study also does not establish that immune dysfunction causes ME/CFS—only that correcting certain immune abnormalities correlates with symptom improvement in some individuals. No long-term efficacy or safety data are provided.
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
Lloyd, A, Hickie, I, Wakefield, D, Boughton, C, & Dwyer, J (1990). A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.. The American journal of medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(90)90173-b
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lloyd-1990-double-blind,
author = {Lloyd, A and Hickie, I and Wakefield, D and Boughton, C and Dwyer, J},
title = {A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {The American journal of medicine},
year = {1990},
doi = {10.1016/0002-9343(90)90173-b},
note = {PubMed: 2146875},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lloyd-1990-double-blind},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lloyd-1990-double-blind
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.