ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2785 studies

1841–1860 of 2,785 studies

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 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 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Attentional bias towards health-threat information in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hou, Ruihua, Moss-Morris, Rona, Bradley, Brendan P et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2008

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS pay more attention to health-related threats compared to neutral information. Researchers used a simple computer task showing words and pictures related to health threats or neutral topics, and found that people with ME/CFS did indeed focus more on the health-threat information than healthy people did. This pattern of attention might help explain why some cognitive therapy approaches can be helpful for ME/CFS.

Cognitive Impairment

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 not requiredCross-Sectional

Small heart syndrome in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Miwa, Kunihisa, Fujita, Masatoshi·Clinical cardiology·2008

This study found that people with ME/CFS are more likely to have a smaller heart than healthy people. Researchers used chest X-rays and heart ultrasounds to measure heart size in 56 ME/CFS patients under age 50 and compared them to 38 healthy controls. Patients with both ME/CFS and a small heart also experienced more symptoms like dizziness when standing, cold feet, and heart rhythm irregularities.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Health-related quality of life in chronic fatigue syndrome: predictors of physical functioning and psychological distress.

Lowry, Timothy J, Pakenham, Kenneth I·Psychology, health & medicine·2008

This study looked at how ME/CFS affects quality of life in 139 Australian patients. Compared to healthy people, ME/CFS patients had significantly worse physical functioning and 63% experienced serious emotional distress. The severity of physical and mental fatigue, along with how often symptoms occurred, were the strongest predictors of poor physical quality of life.

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 unclearObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome and related disorders in UK veterans of the Gulf War 1990-1991: results from a two-phase cohort study.

Ismail, K, Kent, K, Sherwood, R et al.·Psychological medicine·2008

This study looked at whether Gulf War veterans had higher rates of ME/CFS and related conditions compared to other military personnel. Researchers surveyed over 10,000 military personnel and then closely examined disabled Gulf War veterans and similarly disabled veterans who served elsewhere. They found that Gulf War veterans were about 8 times more likely to meet the criteria for ME/CFS than veterans who were not deployed to the Gulf.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Validation of the energy index point score to serially measure the degree of disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lerner, A Martin, Beqaj, Safedin H, Fitzgerald, James T·In vivo (Athens, Greece)·2008

Researchers tested a simple scoring system called the Energy Index (EI) to measure fatigue severity in ME/CFS patients. They compared it to another well-known fatigue measurement tool (the Fatigue Severity Score) in 56 patients and found the two methods produced similar results. This suggests the Energy Index is a reliable way for doctors and patients to track how severe fatigue is and whether treatments are helping.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach.

Chia, J K S, Chia, A Y·Journal of clinical pathology·2008

This study examined stomach biopsies from 165 ME/CFS patients to look for enterovirus (a type of virus) because many patients report stomach problems. Researchers found that 82% of ME/CFS patients had signs of enterovirus in their stomach cells, compared to only 20% of healthy control patients. Some patients tested positive for the virus years apart, suggesting a persistent infection rather than a one-time illness.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Alterations in diurnal salivary cortisol rhythm in a population-based sample of cases with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nater, Urs M, Youngblood, Laura Solomon, Jones, James F et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2008

This study measured stress hormone (cortisol) levels and immune markers in saliva and blood from people with ME/CFS, people with significant fatigue who don't meet full CFS criteria, and healthy controls. People with ME/CFS showed an abnormal pattern: lower cortisol in the morning and higher in the evening (the opposite of what's healthy), suggesting their stress-response system may not be working normally.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Catastrophizing and causal beliefs in whiplash.

Buitenhuis, J, de Jong, P J, Jaspers, J P C et al.·Spine·2008

This study looked at how people's thoughts and beliefs affect recovery from neck injuries caused by car accidents. Researchers found that people who catastrophize (expect the worst) about their pain and who believe their symptoms are caused by 'whiplash' tend to have longer-lasting problems, even when their initial injury was not severe. The study followed 140 people for a year after their accidents to see how their beliefs influenced their recovery.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

'Physical or psychological?'- a comparative study of causal attribution for chronic fatigue in Brazilian and British primary care patients.

Cho, H J, Bhugra, D, Wessely, S·Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2008

This study compared how patients with long-term unexplained fatigue in Brazil and Britain understand what caused their illness. British patients were more likely to believe their fatigue had a physical cause, while both groups experienced similar levels of disability despite their different beliefs about its origin. The findings suggest that culture and society influence how people understand and talk about their chronic fatigue.

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 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Memory for fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: relationships to fatigue variability, catastrophizing, and negative affect.

Sohl, Stephanie J, Friedberg, Fred·Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.)·2008

This study explored how ME/CFS patients remember their fatigue compared to what they actually experience day-to-day. Over 3 weeks, 53 patients recorded their fatigue levels as they happened, then recalled how fatigued they had been the previous week. The research found that people who had more variable fatigue, as well as those struggling with worry, depression, or anxiety, tended to remember their fatigue differently than they actually experienced it.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Neuropsychological performance in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study.

Majer, Matthias, Welberg, Leonie A M, Capuron, Lucile et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2008

This study compared thinking and motor skills in people with ME/CFS to healthy controls using computerized tests. People with ME/CFS showed slower reaction times and had more difficulty with memory tasks that involve holding and manipulating information in mind. These differences held up even after excluding people with psychiatric conditions or those taking medications that affect thinking.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Memory for fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: the relation between weekly recall and momentary ratings.

Friedberg, Fred, Sohl, Stephanie J·International journal of behavioral medicine·2008

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS remember their fatigue levels compared to what they report in the moment. Over three weeks, 71 participants rated their fatigue six times daily using electronic diaries, then recalled their fatigue levels at the end of each week. The researchers found that people's weekly memories of fatigue were higher than their day-to-day ratings, but the two measures still matched moderately well overall.

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

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 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Measuring health outcomes of a multidisciplinary care approach in individuals with chronic environmental conditions using an abbreviated symptoms questionnaire.

Fox, Roy, Sampalli, Tara, Fox, Jonathan·Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare·2008

This study looked at how well a multidisciplinary treatment program (combining different types of care) worked for people with multiple chemical sensitivity and related conditions like ME/CFS. Researchers tracked 292 patients over time and used a symptom questionnaire to measure improvement. They found that some symptoms like difficulty concentrating and tiredness improved quickly (within 6 months), while others like fatigue took longer to improve.

Cognitive Impairment

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Evidence browser

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

Longitudinal risk factors for persistent fatigue in adolescents.

Attentional bias towards health-threat information in chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

Small heart syndrome in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Health-related quality of life in chronic fatigue syndrome: predictors of physical functioning and psychological distress.

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

Chronic fatigue syndrome and related disorders in UK veterans of the Gulf War 1990-1991: results from a two-phase cohort study.

Validation of the energy index point score to serially measure the degree of disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach.

Alterations in diurnal salivary cortisol rhythm in a population-based sample of cases with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Catastrophizing and causal beliefs in whiplash.

'Physical or psychological?'- a comparative study of causal attribution for chronic fatigue in Brazilian and British primary care patients.

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

Memory for fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: relationships to fatigue variability, catastrophizing, and negative affect.

Neuropsychological performance in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study.

Memory for fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: the relation between weekly recall and momentary ratings.

Genetic evaluation of the serotonergic system in chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

Measuring health outcomes of a multidisciplinary care approach in individuals with chronic environmental conditions using an abbreviated symptoms questionnaire.

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