Peo, Laura-Carlotta, Wiehler, Katharina, Paulick, Johannes et al. · European journal of pediatrics · 2024 · DOI
This study looked at young people (ages 11-25) who developed ME/CFS after having COVID-19, even when their initial infection was mild or asymptomatic. Researchers created new questionnaires called the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaires (MBSQs) to help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more easily and consistently. The study found that ten young patients had severe problems with daily activities and quality of life after developing ME/CFS following COVID-19.
This study provides the first documented cases of ME/CFS in children under 19 years following COVID-19, expanding awareness that pediatric post-COVID patients can develop this serious condition. The newly developed MBSQ tools offer clinicians a structured, validated approach to diagnosing ME/CFS, which is particularly important given that pediatric ME/CFS can be easily missed or misdiagnosed.
This case series cannot establish how common ME/CFS is in pediatric post-COVID populations, as it describes only ten selected patients. The study does not prove that COVID-19 directly causes ME/CFS (only temporal association), nor does it clarify which patient characteristics or infection factors increase risk for developing ME/CFS.
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
Peo, Laura-Carlotta, Wiehler, Katharina, Paulick, Johannes, Gerrer, Katrin, Leone, Ariane, Viereck, Anja, et al. (2024). Pediatric and adult patients with ME/CFS following COVID-19: A structured approach to diagnosis using the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaire (MBSQ).. European journal of pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-023-05351-z
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-peo-2024-pediatric-adult,
author = {Peo, Laura-Carlotta and Wiehler, Katharina and Paulick, Johannes and Gerrer, Katrin and Leone, Ariane and Viereck, Anja and Haegele, Matthias and Stojanov, Silvia and Warlitz, Cordula and Augustin, Silvia and Alberer, Martin and Hattesohl, Daniel B R and Froehlich, Laura and Scheibenbogen, Carmen and Jason, Leonard A and Mihatsch, Lorenz L and Pricoco, Rafael and Behrends, Uta},
title = {Pediatric and adult patients with ME/CFS following COVID-19: A structured approach to diagnosis using the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaire (MBSQ).},
journal = {European journal of pediatrics},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1007/s00431-023-05351-z},
note = {PubMed: 38095713},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/peo-2024-pediatric-adult},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/peo-2024-pediatric-adult
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