Söderlund, A, Skoge, A M, Malterud, K · Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2000 · DOI
This study asked 12 people with ME/CFS to describe what living with the illness is really like. They reported extreme exhaustion that goes far beyond normal tiredness, along with muscle weakness, pain, memory problems, sleep issues, and heightened sensitivity to light, sound, and smells. These symptoms made everyday activities like cooking, talking, and housework unpredictably difficult, which disrupted their social lives and relationships.
This study provides detailed patient-centered descriptions of ME/CFS symptoms and their functional impact, highlighting the serious and distinctive nature of the illness. Understanding how symptoms interconnect and affect daily life is crucial for improving clinical recognition, patient support, and research priorities.
This qualitative study does not establish causation or identify specific biological mechanisms underlying ME/CFS—it describes patient experiences. The comparison to cytotoxic medication effects is speculative and not supported by biomarker data. Results cannot be generalized beyond this small, self-selected sample and do not represent all ME/CFS patients.
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
Söderlund, A, Skoge, A M, & Malterud, K (2000). "I could not lift my arm holding the fork...". Living with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Scandinavian journal of primary health care. https://doi.org/10.1080/028134300453377
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sderlund-2000-could-lift,
author = {Söderlund, A and Skoge, A M and Malterud, K},
title = {"I could not lift my arm holding the fork...". Living with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Scandinavian journal of primary health care},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1080/028134300453377},
note = {PubMed: 11097102},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sderlund-2000-could-lift},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sderlund-2000-could-lift
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