Vink, Mark, Vink-Niese, Alexandra · Journal of clinical medicine · 2026 · DOI
This article reviews what we know about severe ME/CFS, a serious illness that can leave people completely bedbound and dependent on caregivers. Currently, there is no blood test or scan that can diagnose ME/CFS, though a special two-day exercise test can help document the problem. The authors emphasize that severe ME/CFS is a major medical condition that has received very little research funding, and there are currently no proven treatments available.
This article highlights the severe disability experienced by ME/CFS patients, particularly those with the most serious forms of the illness, and underscores the urgent need for research funding and treatment development. It brings attention to the growing number of post-COVID patients developing ME/CFS, making this a timely public health concern. The editorial's call for advanced medical research directly addresses the unmet medical needs of patients who currently have no effective treatments.
This editorial does not present new research data, clinical trials, or experimental findings—it is a literature review and opinion piece. It does not establish what causes ME/CFS, propose specific mechanisms of disease, or test any particular treatment. The observations about severe ME/CFS severity and current lack of treatments reflect the authors' synthesis of existing literature rather than new evidence.
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
Vink, Mark & Vink-Niese, Alexandra (2026). An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.. Journal of clinical medicine. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15020805
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-vink-2026-overview-severe,
author = {Vink, Mark and Vink-Niese, Alexandra},
title = {An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Journal of clinical medicine},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.3390/jcm15020805},
note = {PubMed: 41598742},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vink-2026-overview-severe},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-04-21. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vink-2026-overview-severe
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.