Norris, Tom, Collin, Simon M, Tilling, Kate et al. · Archives of disease in childhood · 2017 · DOI
This study followed teenagers in the UK from ages 13 to 18 to understand what happens to disabling fatigue that lasts 6 months or longer. The researchers found that while more teenagers reported this kind of fatigue as they got older, about 75% of those with persistent fatigue at age 13 felt better by age 16. Only about 8% of teenagers had this disabling fatigue throughout their entire teenage years.
Understanding the natural course of ME/CFS in adolescents is critical because most existing research involves small samples or short follow-up periods. This large longitudinal study provides evidence that most teenagers with disabling fatigue improve over time, offering hope to patients and families while also identifying the minority who experience persistent symptoms requiring ongoing support.
This study does not confirm clinical diagnoses of CFS/ME, as it identified cases through self-reported fatigue rather than medical evaluation. The findings cannot explain why some adolescents recover while others develop persistent fatigue, nor can they identify specific factors that predict better or worse outcomes. The results may not apply to adolescents who received earlier medical diagnoses or treatment.
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
Norris, Tom, Collin, Simon M, Tilling, Kate, Nuevo, Roberto, Stansfeld, Stephen A, Sterne, Jonathan Ac, et al. (2017). Natural course of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in adolescents.. Archives of disease in childhood. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2016-311198
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-norris-2017-natural-course,
author = {Norris, Tom and Collin, Simon M and Tilling, Kate and Nuevo, Roberto and Stansfeld, Stephen A and Sterne, Jonathan Ac and Heron, Jon and Crawley, Esther},
title = {Natural course of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in adolescents.},
journal = {Archives of disease in childhood},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1136/archdischild-2016-311198},
note = {PubMed: 28104625},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/norris-2017-natural-course},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/norris-2017-natural-course
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