ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2768 studies

141–160 of 2,768 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredObservational

Efficacy of repeated immunoadsorption in patients with post-COVID myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and elevated β2-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies: a prospective cohort study.

Stein, Elisa, Heindrich, Cornelia, Wittke, Kirsten et al.·The Lancet regional health. Europe·2025

This study tested a blood-filtering treatment called immunoadsorption in 20 patients with post-COVID ME/CFS who had specific autoantibodies (immune proteins attacking their own bodies). After five treatment sessions, 70% of patients improved, with better physical function, reduced fatigue, and less post-exertional malaise lasting at least six months. The treatment removed harmful immune proteins from the blood and was generally well tolerated.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome using beat-to-beat autonomic measurements.

Kujawski, Sławomir, Tabisz, Hanna, Morten, Karl J et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2025

Researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze how the heart and nervous system behave differently in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. By measuring heart rate changes beat-by-beat, they found a pattern that could identify ME/CFS patients with 89% accuracy. The key differences included a less responsive vagal nerve (which normally calms the body), a more active stress response in blood vessels, and less efficient heart pumping.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Absence of BOLD adaptation in chronic fatigue syndrome revealed by task functional MRI.

Schönberg, Laura, Mohamed, Abdalla Z, Yu, Qiang et al.·Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism·2025

This study looked at how the brain responds when people with ME/CFS do mental tasks, using brain imaging to measure blood flow. Researchers found that while healthy people's brains become more efficient with repeated effort (showing less activation over time), people with ME/CFS showed the opposite pattern—their brains actually increased activity with each repetition. This suggests that ME/CFS may involve a fundamental difference in how the brain adapts to mental work, potentially explaining why cognitive tasks feel so exhausting.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Age-Related Changes in the Clinical Picture of Long COVID.

Fain, Mindy J, Horne, Benjamin D, Horwitz, Leora I et al.·Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2025

This study looked at how Long COVID symptoms change as people get older. Researchers compared people aged 18–39 with those aged 40–70+ who had recovered from COVID-19 infection at least 135 days earlier. They found that middle-aged adults (40–59) were more likely to have Long COVID than young adults, but surprisingly, adults aged 70+ were actually less likely to report it—and when they did, their symptoms looked different, with less fatigue, pain, and brain fog compared to younger people.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Peripheral Levels of Selected Biomarkers in Patients with Post-Sarcoidosis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Małujło-Balcerska, Elżbieta, Bączek, Karol, Górski, Witold et al.·Journal of inflammation research·2025

This study looked at 71 people with sarcoidosis (a disease that causes inflammation) to understand why some feel extremely tired even after their disease improves. Researchers measured inflammation markers in the blood and found that people with lingering fatigue had higher levels of a protein called IL-6 compared to those without fatigue. The findings suggest that low-grade inflammation may be keeping people fatigued even when their disease appears to be under control.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Understanding symptom clusters, diagnosis and healthcare experiences in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID: a cross-sectional survey in the UK.

Mansoubi, Maedeh, Richards, Thomas, Ainsworth-Wells, Martine et al.·BMJ open·2025

This large UK survey asked over 8,800 people with ME/CFS or long COVID about their symptoms and experiences with healthcare. The study found that fatigue, brain fog, pain, and sleep problems are the most common symptoms, but people often wait years for a diagnosis. Even after new healthcare guidelines were introduced, most patients said they weren't satisfied with the care they received from the NHS.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Alterations in gut microbiota and associated metabolites in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cheng, Xinxin, Wang, Wenkuan, Xu, Tingting et al.·Scientific reports·2025

This study looked at the bacteria living in the gut of people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people, and found that ME/CFS patients have fewer types of bacteria and lower levels of helpful compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that bacteria produce. The study found that people with ME/CFS who eat more fiber have higher levels of these beneficial compounds, suggesting diet may help restore some of the bacterial imbalances seen in ME/CFS.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Deep sequencing of BCR heavy chain repertoires in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ryback, Audrey A, Cowan, Graeme J M·Frontiers in immunology·2025

This study examined immune system cells called B cells in people with ME/CFS to see if the disease might be caused by chronic infections or autoimmune problems. Researchers compared blood samples from 25 patients with mild/moderate ME/CFS, 36 with severe ME/CFS, healthy people, and people with multiple sclerosis. They found that ME/CFS patients' B cells did not show the typical patterns expected if chronic infection or autoimmunity were the main cause, though they did notice a difference in the balance of certain antibody types in milder cases.

Severe MEImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Deep learning analysis of long COVID and vaccine impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): development of a risk calculator in a multicentric study.

Shaheen, Ahmed, Shaheen, Nour, Long COVID Collaboration Study Group in the LMICs et al.·Frontiers in public health·2025

Researchers studied over 2,400 COVID-19 patients in low- and middle-income countries to understand why some people develop long-lasting symptoms like chronic fatigue and depression after infection. They used advanced computer analysis to identify which patients were at highest risk for these prolonged symptoms. The study found that vaccination reduced the risk of developing these long-term problems, and that older age, being female, and smoking were linked to higher risk of chronic fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Nonpelvic comorbid symptoms of 45 patients with pain of pelvic venous origin, before and after treatment.

Smith, Steven J, Smith, B Holly, Sichlau, Michael J et al.·Phlebology·2025

This study looked at 45 women with chronic pelvic pain caused by abnormal blood pooling in pelvic veins. These patients experienced many symptoms beyond pelvic pain—including brain fog, fatigue, migraines, constipation, and anxiety. After receiving a catheter-based procedure to fix the blood pooling, most of these systemic symptoms improved significantly (by 50% or more).

Pain and SensitizationAutonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Exploratory study on autoantibodies to arginine-rich human peptides mimicking Epstein-Barr virus in women with post-COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hoheisel, Friederike, Fleischer, Kathrin Maria, Rubarth, Kerstin et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2025

This study looked for certain antibodies in the blood of women with post-COVID and ME/CFS that might mistakenly attack the body's own proteins. The researchers found that patients with these conditions had more of these problematic antibodies than healthy people, and these antibodies were linked to common ME/CFS symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, pain, and autonomic problems. The results suggest that a virus (EBV) may trigger the immune system to attack human proteins that look similar to viral proteins.

Pain and SensitizationAutonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Imbalanced Brain Neurochemicals in Long COVID and ME/CFS: A Preliminary Study Using MRI.

Thapaliya, Kiran, Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie et al.·The American journal of medicine·2025

Researchers used advanced brain imaging to measure chemical imbalances in ME/CFS and long COVID patients compared to healthy people. They found that two important brain chemicals—glutamate and N-acetyl-aspartate—were significantly higher in patients with both conditions. These chemical imbalances were connected to how severe patients' symptoms were, suggesting that abnormal brain chemistry may play a role in the exhaustion and other symptoms these patients experience.

Neuroinflammation

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Exploration of Intersections and Divergences of Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Kouyoumdjian, Joao A, Yamamoto, Leticia A, Graca, Carla R·Cureus·2025

This study looked at how Long COVID and ME/CFS might be related by comparing people with Long COVID symptoms to those without and healthy controls. While many Long COVID patients experienced symptoms that overlap with ME/CFS—like post-exertional malaise (feeling worse after activity), brain fog, and sleep problems—only about 1 in 5 Long COVID patients actually met the official diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. The findings suggest that Long COVID and ME/CFS are related but distinct conditions.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Physical activity and sedentariness levels in patients with post-exertional malaise resulting from post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Elkebir, Kamel-Eddine, Gilbert, Jo-Anne, Kugathasan, Thiffya Arabi et al.·Work (Reading, Mass.)·2025

This study looked at how physical activity changed in 154 people who developed post-exertional malaise (PEM)—extreme tiredness and pain that worsens after activity—following COVID-19. Researchers found that after COVID-19, these patients became much less active and spent more time sitting, especially at work. Women and those with more severe PEM were most affected by these changes.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

A Cross-Sectional Study of Symptom Prevalence, Frequency, Severity, and Impact of Long COVID in Scotland: Part I.

Mclaughlin, Marie, Cerexhe, Luke, Macdonald, Eilidh et al.·The American journal of medicine·2025

Researchers surveyed 253 people living with long COVID in Scotland to understand which symptoms are most common and how severe they are. The most frequent symptoms were post-exertional malaise (when activity makes symptoms worse), extreme tiredness, and thinking problems. The study found that people living in areas with more deprivation experienced more symptoms, but factors like vaccination status and age did not significantly affect symptom patterns.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Long COVID in the population of COVID-19 hospitalized patients discharged from SUS' hospitals in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil: a patient-engaged cohort survey study.

Portela, Margareth Crisóstomo, Lima, Sheyla Maria Lemos, Escosteguy, Claudia Caminha et al.·BMC infectious diseases·2025

This Brazilian study surveyed over 11,000 people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 to see how many experienced long-lasting symptoms months later. About 71% reported frequent ongoing symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain, while 39% said they had Long COVID. The researchers found that women, people with previous health conditions, and certain age groups were more likely to experience these persistent symptoms.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredLongitudinal

Temporal Dynamics of the Plasma Proteomic Landscape Reveals Maladaptation in ME/CFS Following Exertion.

Germain, Arnaud, Glass, Katherine A, Eckert, Melissa A et al.·Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP·2025

Researchers studied what happens in the blood of ME/CFS patients during and after exercise to understand post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the worsening of symptoms that occurs after physical activity. They measured over 6,000 different proteins in 79 ME/CFS patients and 53 healthy controls before exercise, immediately after, and during recovery. They found that ME/CFS patients have abnormal protein changes during recovery that suggest their immune system and energy-producing cells are not working properly after exertion.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Hippocampal subfield volume alterations and associations with severity measures in long COVID and ME/CFS: A 7T MRI study.

Thapaliya, Kiran, Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie et al.·PloS one·2025

Researchers used advanced brain imaging to compare a part of the brain called the hippocampus in long COVID patients, ME/CFS patients, and healthy people. They found that certain areas of the hippocampus were larger in both patient groups compared to healthy controls, and these size differences were linked to how severe symptoms like fatigue, pain, and memory problems were. This suggests that changes in brain structure might explain some of the cognitive difficulties these patients experience.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Development and validation of blood-based diagnostic biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) using EpiSwitch® 3-dimensional genomic regulatory immuno-genetic profiling.

Hunter, Ewan, Alshaker, Heba, Bundock, Oliver et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2025

Researchers developed a new blood test called EpiSwitch®CFS that may help diagnose ME/CFS by detecting specific patterns in how DNA is organized in blood cells. When tested on stored blood samples from 47 ME/CFS patients and 61 healthy people, the test correctly identified 92% of ME/CFS patients and correctly ruled out 98% of healthy controls. This could potentially help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more reliably, since there is currently no standard blood test for the condition.

NeuroinflammationBiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Predisposing and Precipitating Factors in Epstein-Barr Virus-Caused Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Jason, Leonard A, Katz, Ben Z·Microorganisms·2025

This study followed college students before and after they got infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein-Barr virus to understand why some people develop ME/CFS afterward while others recover. Researchers collected health information and blood samples from students at three time points: before they got sick, shortly after their IM diagnosis, and six months later. By studying these young people over time, the researchers identified certain factors present before and during the infection that seemed to predict who would develop ME/CFS rather than recover.

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Evidence browser

Efficacy of repeated immunoadsorption in patients with post-COVID myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and elevated β2-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies: a prospective cohort study.

Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome using beat-to-beat autonomic measurements.

Absence of BOLD adaptation in chronic fatigue syndrome revealed by task functional MRI.

Age-Related Changes in the Clinical Picture of Long COVID.

Peripheral Levels of Selected Biomarkers in Patients with Post-Sarcoidosis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Understanding symptom clusters, diagnosis and healthcare experiences in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID: a cross-sectional survey in the UK.

Alterations in gut microbiota and associated metabolites in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Deep sequencing of BCR heavy chain repertoires in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Deep learning analysis of long COVID and vaccine impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): development of a risk calculator in a multicentric study.

Nonpelvic comorbid symptoms of 45 patients with pain of pelvic venous origin, before and after treatment.

Exploratory study on autoantibodies to arginine-rich human peptides mimicking Epstein-Barr virus in women with post-COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Imbalanced Brain Neurochemicals in Long COVID and ME/CFS: A Preliminary Study Using MRI.

Exploration of Intersections and Divergences of Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Physical activity and sedentariness levels in patients with post-exertional malaise resulting from post-COVID-19 syndrome.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Symptom Prevalence, Frequency, Severity, and Impact of Long COVID in Scotland: Part I.

Long COVID in the population of COVID-19 hospitalized patients discharged from SUS' hospitals in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil: a patient-engaged cohort survey study.

Temporal Dynamics of the Plasma Proteomic Landscape Reveals Maladaptation in ME/CFS Following Exertion.

Hippocampal subfield volume alterations and associations with severity measures in long COVID and ME/CFS: A 7T MRI study.

Development and validation of blood-based diagnostic biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) using EpiSwitch® 3-dimensional genomic regulatory immuno-genetic profiling.

Predisposing and Precipitating Factors in Epstein-Barr Virus-Caused Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

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