Rovigatti, Ugo · Neuromuscular disorders : NMD · 2012 · DOI
This article compares two types of unexplained fatigue: ME/CFS and cancer-related fatigue. The author reviews evidence suggesting that both conditions may be triggered or worsened by viral infections. While a virus once thought to be connected to ME/CFS turned out to be a laboratory error, the author argues that finding the actual infectious agent responsible remains an important research goal.
This work emphasizes the important concept that ME/CFS may share common pathophysiologic mechanisms with other fatigue conditions, and supports continued investigation of viral triggers—a research direction that remains relevant to understanding ME/CFS etiology. Identifying a true infectious agent could lead to better diagnostic tests and targeted treatments for patients suffering from severe, disabling fatigue.
This review does not prove that ME/CFS or cancer-related fatigue is caused by any specific virus, nor does it establish that viral infection is the sole cause of either condition. The work is a critical commentary and hypothesis paper rather than empirical evidence of causation. The author's suggestion of Micro-Foci Inducing Virus remains speculative and requires experimental validation.
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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Primary citation
Rovigatti, Ugo (2012). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Cancer Related Fatigue (CRF): two "fatigue" syndromes with overlapping symptoms and possibly related aetiologies.. Neuromuscular disorders : NMD. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2012.10.018
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rovigatti-2012-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Rovigatti, Ugo},
title = {Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Cancer Related Fatigue (CRF): two "fatigue" syndromes with overlapping symptoms and possibly related aetiologies.},
journal = {Neuromuscular disorders : NMD},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1016/j.nmd.2012.10.018},
note = {PubMed: 23182646},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rovigatti-2012-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rovigatti-2012-chronic-fatigue
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