Moldofsky, Harvey, Patcai, John · BMC neurology · 2011 · DOI
This study looked at people who had severe SARS infection and were unable to return to work for over a year afterward. These patients experienced long-lasting fatigue, widespread muscle pain, weakness, depression, and poor sleep quality. Researchers found that their sleep patterns and symptoms were very similar to those seen in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
This study demonstrates that post-viral syndromes share core biological features with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, including specific sleep disturbances and objective EEG abnormalities. Understanding these shared mechanisms may help researchers identify common pathophysiological pathways and develop targeted treatments applicable across these conditions.
This study does not prove that SARS directly causes ME/CFS or that all post-viral fatigue syndromes are identical. The small sample size and case-control design cannot establish causation or definitively determine whether observed sleep abnormalities are primary drivers or consequences of chronic illness. Long-term follow-up would be needed to determine recovery patterns.
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
Moldofsky, Harvey & Patcai, John (2011). Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, depression and disordered sleep in chronic post-SARS syndrome; a case-controlled study.. BMC neurology. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2377-11-37
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-moldofsky-2011-chronic-widespread,
author = {Moldofsky, Harvey and Patcai, John},
title = {Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, depression and disordered sleep in chronic post-SARS syndrome; a case-controlled study.},
journal = {BMC neurology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1186/1471-2377-11-37},
note = {PubMed: 21435231},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/moldofsky-2011-chronic-widespread},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/moldofsky-2011-chronic-widespread
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