ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2768 studies

1801–1820 of 2,768 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Are patients with chronic fatigue syndrome just 'tired' or also 'sleepy'?

Neu, Daniel, Hoffmann, Guy, Moutrier, Robert et al.·Journal of sleep research·2008

This study asked whether ME/CFS patients experience daytime sleepiness (like wanting to nap) or mainly fatigue (exhaustion that doesn't improve with rest). Researchers tested 16 ME/CFS patients, 13 sleep apnea patients, and 12 healthy people using both objective sleep tests and questionnaires. They found that ME/CFS patients reported much higher fatigue than sleepiness, while sleep apnea patients showed the opposite pattern—suggesting fatigue and sleepiness are different problems.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Longitudinal risk factors for persistent fatigue in adolescents.

Viner, Russell M, Clark, Charlotte, Taylor, Stephanie J C et al.·Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine·2008

This study followed nearly 1,900 young people in London over two years to see what factors might lead to persistent tiredness. Researchers found that teenagers who were either very inactive (sitting more than 4 hours daily) or very active, along with those experiencing depression symptoms, were more likely to report extreme tiredness occurring twice a week or more. Importantly, only 3 young people in the entire study met criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting persistent fatigue and ME/CFS may be different conditions.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome after human parvovirus B19 infection without persistent viremia.

Seishima, Mariko, Mizutani, Yoko, Shibuya, Yoshinao et al.·Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland)·2008

This study looked at 210 patients who had parvovirus B19 infection to see how many developed ME/CFS afterward. Researchers found that the virus cleared from the bloodstream within 4-5 months in all patients tested, and having the virus stick around longer was not connected to developing CFS. However, patients who developed lasting symptoms did show persistently low immune protein (complement) levels, suggesting that ME/CFS after B19 may involve immune system changes rather than ongoing viral presence.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Disability associated with comorbid anxiety disorders in women with chronic physical illness in Ontario, Canada.

Gadalla, Tahany M·Women & health·2008

This study looked at data from over 40,000 Canadian adults to understand how anxiety disorders affect people with chronic illnesses, particularly women. The researchers found that women with chronic physical illnesses—including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and digestive problems—are much more likely to also experience anxiety disorders. When anxiety and physical illness occur together, people report more disability in daily activities and higher rates of suicidal thoughts.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

The economic impact of ME/CFS: individual and societal costs.

Jason, Leonard A, Benton, Mary C, Valentine, Lisa et al.·Dynamic medicine : DM·2008

This study looked at how much money ME/CFS costs both individual patients and society as a whole in the United States. Researchers examined medical bills, test costs, and medication expenses for ME/CFS patients in two different groups. They found that ME/CFS is very expensive—costing between $2,000 and $8,600 per patient per year in direct medical costs alone, and billions of dollars to society when you include lost work and productivity.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sexual dysfunction as related to severity of fatigue in women with CFS.

Blazquez, A, Ruiz, E, Vazquez, A et al.·Journal of sex & marital therapy·2008

This study looked at whether sexual function problems are connected to fatigue severity in women with ME/CFS. Researchers compared 27 women with ME/CFS to 15 healthy women and used questionnaires to measure sexual satisfaction, interest, and comfort. They found that women with more severe fatigue reported more sexual problems, including less satisfaction, avoiding sexual activity, and viewing sex negatively.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals.

Thompson, Elizabeth A, Mathie, Robert T, Baitson, Elizabeth S et al.·Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy·2008

This study collected information from five NHS homeopathic hospitals in the UK to understand what conditions patients were being treated for and whether they felt better. Researchers recorded data from nearly 1,800 patient visits over 4 weeks, including what health problems patients had and whether they noticed improvements in their daily life. Among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), about 59% reported meaningful improvements in their daily functioning after 6 or more appointments.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Glucocorticoid sensitivity of immune cells in severely fatigued adolescent girls: a longitudinal study.

ter Wolbeek, Maike, van Doornen, Lorenz J P, Schedlowski, Manfred et al.·Psychoneuroendocrinology·2008

This study looked at whether teenagers with severe fatigue have differences in how their immune cells respond to stress hormones called cortisol and dexamethasone. Researchers tracked 65 fatigued girls and 60 non-fatigued girls over a year, measuring their stress hormone levels and testing immune cell responses. They found that only girls whose fatigue persisted had reduced immune cell sensitivity to these stress hormones, suggesting that long-lasting fatigue may involve a specific change in how the immune system responds to stress.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Determinants of health care use in chronic fatigue syndrome patients: a cross-sectional study.

Scheeres, Korine, Wensing, Michel, Severens, Hans et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2008

This study looked at what factors influence how much medical care ME/CFS patients use. Researchers surveyed 263 ME/CFS patients about their doctor visits and hospital stays over 6 months, and measured their fatigue severity and physical functioning. They found that how sick patients are, how long they've had the illness, and whether they focus a lot on their symptoms all affect how much healthcare they use.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep structure and sleepiness in chronic fatigue syndrome with or without coexisting fibromyalgia.

Togo, Fumiharu, Natelson, Benjamin H, Cherniack, Neil S et al.·Arthritis research & therapy·2008

This study looked at sleep patterns in people with ME/CFS, comparing those with and without fibromyalgia to healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had worse sleep quality and felt more tired and sleepy after sleeping than healthy controls. The key finding was that some ME/CFS patients experienced frequent sleep interruptions—their sleep kept getting broken up—which made their sleep feel unrefreshing even though they didn't have diagnosable sleep disorders like sleep apnea.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is an under-recognized condition in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hoad, A, Spickett, G, Elliott, J et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·2008

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have a condition called POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), which causes the heart to beat much faster when standing up. Researchers tested 59 ME/CFS patients and compared them to 52 healthy people, measuring heart rate changes when they stood up. They found that 27% of ME/CFS patients had POTS, compared to only 9% of healthy controls, suggesting this condition is common but often missed in ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Seroprevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii among employees of the Veterinary University in Kosice, eastern Slovakia.

Dorko, Erik, Kalinova, Zuzana, Weissova, Tatiana et al.·Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM·2008

This study tested veterinary university employees in Slovakia for past or present infection with a bacteria called Coxiella burnetii, which causes Q fever—a disease spread mainly through contact with infected animals or their fluids. Researchers found that more than one-third of the employees had antibodies (immune markers) suggesting exposure to this bacteria, and some employees reported having chronic fatigue syndrome, fever of unknown origin, and other unexplained health problems.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Symptoms, impairment and illness intrusiveness--their relationship with depression in women with CFS/ME.

Dancey, Christine P, Friend, Julie·Psychology & health·2008

This study looked at how ME/CFS symptoms and daily limitations affect depression in women with the illness. The researchers found that ME/CFS is particularly intrusive—it disrupts many areas of life more than other chronic illnesses do. How much the illness disrupts daily life turned out to be the strongest predictor of whether someone develops depression, more so than the symptoms or impairments alone.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Genetic evaluation of the serotonergic system in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Smith, Alicia K, Dimulescu, Irina, Falkenberg, Virginia R et al.·Psychoneuroendocrinology·2008

This study looked at genes related to serotonin (a brain chemical) to see if certain genetic variations are more common in people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared 40 ME/CFS patients with 97 control subjects and found that specific genetic markers in the HTR2A gene were associated with ME/CFS and with severity of fatigue and disability. These genetic variations may increase how active the serotonin system is in the brain, which could play a role in ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sympathetic cardiovascular control during orthostatic stress and isometric exercise in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Saul, J Philip, Walløe, Lars et al.·European journal of applied physiology·2008

This study looked at how the bodies of adolescents with ME/CFS respond to physical stress, specifically when lying down while pressure is applied to the legs and while squeezing a hand grip. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had higher heart rates and stress hormone levels even at rest, and their cardiovascular system overreacted to the leg pressure test but underreacted during the hand grip exercise compared to healthy teenagers.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

An IgM-mediated immune response directed against nitro-bovine serum albumin (nitro-BSA) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and major depression: evidence that nitrosative stress is another factor underpinning the comorbidity between major depression and CFS.

Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Kubera, Marta et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·2008

This study looked for signs of damage from harmful molecules called nitrosative stress in people with ME/CFS and depression. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS and depression had higher levels of immune antibodies (IgM) attacking damaged proteins, suggesting their bodies are being harmed by these harmful molecules more than healthy people. The study also found a connection between this damage and leaky gut, where bacteria products leak through the intestinal barrier.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

The neural correlates of fatigue: an exploratory imaginal fatigue provocation study in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Caseras, X, Mataix-Cols, D, Rimes, K A et al.·Psychological medicine·2008

This study used brain imaging to see how the brains of ME/CFS patients respond when they imagine feeling fatigued, compared to healthy people. Researchers found that patients with ME/CFS showed different patterns of brain activity during fatigue scenarios—some areas lit up more, while others lit up less—suggesting their brains may react more intensely to fatigue and have difficulty controlling these responses.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Implementing cognitive behavior therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome in mental health care: a costs and outcomes analysis.

Scheeres, Korine, Wensing, Michel, Bleijenberg, Gijs et al.·BMC health services research·2008

This study tested whether cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), a talk-based treatment, could be successfully offered to ME/CFS patients at a mental health center and whether it was worth the cost. Researchers tracked 125 patients before and after treatment and found that 37% recovered from CFS, patients' healthcare costs went down, and overall costs to society were lower. The study suggests that offering CBT for ME/CFS in mental health settings could be both helpful and financially reasonable.

Interventions

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Exercise performance and chronic pain in chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of pain catastrophizing.

Nijs, Jo, Van de Putte, Karen, Louckx, Fred et al.·Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)·2008

This study looked at 36 women with ME/CFS who experience widespread pain to understand how their thoughts about pain (called 'pain catastrophizing'—expecting the worst and feeling helpless) relate to their actual pain levels, ability to exercise, and daily functioning. Researchers found that negative thinking patterns about pain were strongly connected to how much bodily pain patients reported and how much their condition limited their activities. The study suggests that addressing these thought patterns might be an important part of managing ME/CFS with pain.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome in male Gulf war veterans and civilians: a further test of the single syndrome hypothesis.

Ciccone, Donald S, Weissman, Lois, Natelson, Benjamin H·Journal of health psychology·2008

This study looked at whether ME/CFS is the same disease in everyone or if it might be different depending on how it starts. Researchers compared 45 male veterans with ME/CFS to 84 male civilians with ME/CFS and found some interesting differences: civilians were more likely to get ME/CFS suddenly (like after the flu), while veterans developed it differently. Civilians also had more fibromyalgia alongside their ME/CFS. These differences suggest that ME/CFS might not be one single disease affecting everyone the same way.

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Are patients with chronic fatigue syndrome just 'tired' or also 'sleepy'?

Longitudinal risk factors for persistent fatigue in adolescents.

Chronic fatigue syndrome after human parvovirus B19 infection without persistent viremia.

Disability associated with comorbid anxiety disorders in women with chronic physical illness in Ontario, Canada.

The economic impact of ME/CFS: individual and societal costs.

Sexual dysfunction as related to severity of fatigue in women with CFS.

Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals.

Glucocorticoid sensitivity of immune cells in severely fatigued adolescent girls: a longitudinal study.

Determinants of health care use in chronic fatigue syndrome patients: a cross-sectional study.

Sleep structure and sleepiness in chronic fatigue syndrome with or without coexisting fibromyalgia.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is an under-recognized condition in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Seroprevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii among employees of the Veterinary University in Kosice, eastern Slovakia.

Symptoms, impairment and illness intrusiveness--their relationship with depression in women with CFS/ME.

Genetic evaluation of the serotonergic system in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sympathetic cardiovascular control during orthostatic stress and isometric exercise in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

An IgM-mediated immune response directed against nitro-bovine serum albumin (nitro-BSA) in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and major depression: evidence that nitrosative stress is another factor underpinning the comorbidity between major depression and CFS.

The neural correlates of fatigue: an exploratory imaginal fatigue provocation study in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Implementing cognitive behavior therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome in mental health care: a costs and outcomes analysis.

Exercise performance and chronic pain in chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of pain catastrophizing.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in male Gulf war veterans and civilians: a further test of the single syndrome hypothesis.

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