Yiu, Yan-Mun, Qiu, Ming-Yi · Zhong xi yi jie he xue bao = Journal of Chinese integrative medicine · 2005 · DOI
This study surveyed over 1,000 adults in Hong Kong to see how common ME/CFS is and how it appears according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) principles. Researchers found that about 6.4% of adults aged 20-50 met ME/CFS diagnostic criteria. According to TCM assessment, most patients showed patterns related to low energy reserves and poor circulation, with symptoms including fatigue, weak knees, poor sleep, and memory problems.
This study provides epidemiological data on ME/CFS prevalence in an Asian population and offers a detailed TCM characterization of symptom patterns, which could inform integrated treatment approaches and highlight how ME/CFS manifests differently across cultural medical frameworks. Understanding TCM perspectives on ME/CFS pathogenesis may guide future mechanistic research and treatment development.
This study does not prove that TCM syndrome classifications are the biological cause of ME/CFS, nor does it establish efficacy of TCM treatments. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether observed TCM patterns precede or result from ME/CFS symptoms. Convenient sampling may not represent the general Hong Kong population, and results may not generalize to other ethnic groups.
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
Yiu, Yan-Mun & Qiu, Ming-Yi (2005). [A preliminary epidemiological study and discussion on traditional Chinese medicine pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome in Hong Kong].. Zhong xi yi jie he xue bao = Journal of Chinese integrative medicine. https://doi.org/10.3736/jcim20050506
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-yiu-2005-preliminary-epidemiological,
author = {Yiu, Yan-Mun and Qiu, Ming-Yi},
title = {[A preliminary epidemiological study and discussion on traditional Chinese medicine pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome in Hong Kong].},
journal = {Zhong xi yi jie he xue bao = Journal of Chinese integrative medicine},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.3736/jcim20050506},
note = {PubMed: 16159567},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yiu-2005-preliminary-epidemiological},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yiu-2005-preliminary-epidemiological
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