Seshadri, N, Sonoda, L I, Lever, A M et al. · The Journal of infection · 2012 · DOI
This study compared two imaging tests for finding the cause of fever that doctors can't explain. One test (PET) was much better at detecting problems—finding a cause in 86% of patients—compared to the other test (leucocyte scintigraphy), which only found a cause in 20% of patients. PET scans successfully identified infections, inflammation, and other conditions causing unexplained fevers.
ME/CFS patients often present with unexplained fever and persistent symptoms that can resemble fever of unknown origin. This study demonstrates that PET imaging is superior for identifying inflammatory and infectious causes of prolonged fevers, which could help clinicians better differentiate ME/CFS from other treatable conditions causing similar presentations. The finding that three patients were subsequently diagnosed with ME/CFS after extensive investigation highlights the diagnostic challenge of this condition.
This study does not prove that PET can definitively diagnose ME/CFS itself, nor does it establish the underlying cause of ME/CFS. The study is primarily about identifying causes of fever of unknown origin—a different clinical presentation than typical ME/CFS. The small sample size (23 patients) and inclusion of ME/CFS as an outcome only in three follow-up cases limits generalizability to the broader ME/CFS population.
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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