Wachsmuth, J R, MacMillan, H L · Clinical pediatrics · 1991 · DOI
This study describes the case of a teenager with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) who received treatment. The doctors documented how the patient was evaluated and what approach was used to help manage their symptoms. This single case report provides an early clinical example of treating ME/CFS in young patients.
Early clinical case reports like this helped establish recognition of ME/CFS in adolescent populations during a period when the condition was often unrecognized or misdiagnosed in young patients. This documentation contributed to awareness among pediatricians that ME/CFS affects teenagers and requires clinical attention.
This single case report cannot establish whether the reported treatment is effective for other adolescents with ME/CFS, as there is no control group and only one patient. The findings may not generalize beyond this specific individual's circumstances, and natural disease fluctuations cannot be distinguished from treatment effects.
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
Wachsmuth, J R & MacMillan, H L (1991). Effective treatment for an adolescent with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Clinical pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1177/000992289103000806
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wachsmuth-1991-effective-treatment,
author = {Wachsmuth, J R and MacMillan, H L},
title = {Effective treatment for an adolescent with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Clinical pediatrics},
year = {1991},
doi = {10.1177/000992289103000806},
note = {PubMed: 1914350},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wachsmuth-1991-effective-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wachsmuth-1991-effective-treatment
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