Sjögren, Per, Huhmar, Helena, Bertilson, Bo C et al. · Frontiers in neurology · 2025 · DOI
This small study tested whether giving patients with ME/CFS regular salt water infusions through an IV could help with symptoms like dizziness and rapid heartbeat when standing up. Twenty-two patients received these infusions every three weeks for 9 weeks, and most reported feeling better, with improvements in symptom scores, quality of life, and ability to work. While the results were encouraging, this was a preliminary study without a control group, so more research is needed to confirm whether this treatment actually works.
Dysautonomic symptoms like orthostatic intolerance and postural tachycardia are severely disabling in ME/CFS and lack uniformly effective treatments. This study suggests a relatively simple, accessible intervention (IV saline) may alleviate these symptoms and improve quality of life and work capacity, potentially opening a new therapeutic avenue for this population.
This case-series cannot prove that IV saline infusions cause symptom improvement, as there is no control group and improvements could result from placebo effect, natural fluctuation, or concurrent treatments. The study's small size (n=22) and reliance on self-reported measures also limit generalizability. Long-term efficacy and optimal dosing regimens remain unestablished.
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
Sjögren, Per, Huhmar, Helena, Bertilson, Bo C, Bragée, Björn, & Polo, Olli (2025). Beneficial effects of intermittent intravenous saline infusion in dysautonomic patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a case-series.. Frontiers in neurology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2025.1601599
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sjgren-2025-beneficial-effects,
author = {Sjögren, Per and Huhmar, Helena and Bertilson, Bo C and Bragée, Björn and Polo, Olli},
title = {Beneficial effects of intermittent intravenous saline infusion in dysautonomic patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a case-series.},
journal = {Frontiers in neurology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2025.1601599},
note = {PubMed: 40761644},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sjgren-2025-beneficial-effects},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sjgren-2025-beneficial-effects
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