Matsuda, J, Gohchi, K · Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine · 1992
Researchers studied 285 people who reported severe fatigue, and confirmed that 55 of them actually had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using official diagnostic criteria. They tested patients' blood for signs of viral infections and measured certain immune cell markers to understand what might be causing CFS. This study looked at various biological factors that could explain why people develop this condition.
This study was among the earlier attempts to identify biological markers that might distinguish CFS from general fatigue, potentially helping develop better diagnostic tools and understanding disease mechanisms. Finding objective biological evidence of CFS helps validate the condition and direct future research toward specific therapeutic targets.
This study does not prove that viral infections or abnormal enzyme levels *cause* CFS—it only shows these markers are present in some patients with the condition. The lack of a control group means we cannot determine if these findings are unique to CFS or also occur in other conditions. The cross-sectional design captures only a single point in time and cannot establish whether these biological changes precede symptom development.
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
Matsuda, J & Gohchi, K (1992). [Overview of our patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) from the pathoetiological aspects].. Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1287240/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-matsuda-1992-overview-our,
author = {Matsuda, J and Gohchi, K},
title = {[Overview of our patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) from the pathoetiological aspects].},
journal = {Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine},
year = {1992},
note = {PubMed: 1287240},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/matsuda-1992-overview-our},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/matsuda-1992-overview-our
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