Rekeland, Ingrid G, Sørland, Kari, Bruland, Ove et al. · PloS one · 2022 · DOI
This study tracked 27 ME/CFS patients for six months using Fitbit activity monitors and questionnaires to understand how symptoms vary day-to-day and whether activity data matches what patients report. Researchers found that people with milder disease had larger swings in their activity levels week-to-week, while those with severe disease stayed consistently low. Activity monitoring proved feasible and useful as a tool alongside patient surveys.
ME/CFS lacks validated biomarkers, making objective measurement tools valuable for tracking disease patterns and treatment effects. This study demonstrates that continuous activity monitoring is feasible in ME/CFS populations and provides objective data that correlates with patient-experienced symptoms, potentially improving how clinicians and researchers monitor this complex condition.
This observational study cannot establish causation or prove that activity trackers should replace clinical assessment; it only demonstrates feasibility and correlation. The small sample size, lack of control group, and absence of intervention mean findings may not generalize to all ME/CFS populations. The observed activity improvement over six months does not establish whether this represents natural variation, monitoring effects, or true disease trajectories.
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 →
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