ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2768 studies

1961–1980 of 2,768 studies

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Evaluation of maximal exercise performance, fatigue, and depression in athletes with acquired chronic training intolerance.

St Clair Gibson, A, Grobler, L A, Collins, M et al.·Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine·2006

This study looked at athletes who reported unusual tiredness and couldn't train like they normally could, even though their bodies seemed to work normally during fitness tests. Researchers found that these athletes' muscles and heart/lung capacity were just as strong as athletes without fatigue problems, but they had higher scores for depression and mood problems. The study suggests that the excessive tiredness these athletes felt might be connected to depression rather than a physical problem with their muscles or fitness.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Linkages between goal attainment and quality of life for individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Query, Michelle, Taylor, Renée R·Occupational therapy in health care·2006

This study looked at whether setting and achieving personal goals could improve quality of life for people with ME/CFS. Forty-seven participants attended eight group sessions where they set goals and tracked their progress. The researchers found that people who made progress toward their goals reported better quality of life, regardless of how severe their fatigue or other symptoms were.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Chronic fatigue syndrome-like caseness as a predictor of work status in fatigued employees on sick leave: four year follow up study.

Huibers, M J H, Leone, S S, Kant, I J et al.·Occupational and environmental medicine·2006

This study followed people on sick leave due to fatigue for four years to see whether those who met the clinical criteria for ME/CFS were more likely to remain unable to work. Researchers found that employees meeting CFS criteria at the start were about three times more likely to still be unable to work four years later compared to those with fatigue who didn't meet CFS criteria. This suggests that CFS-like illness is associated with longer-term work disability.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Activation of human herpesviruses 6 and 7 in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chapenko, S, Krumina, A, Kozireva, S et al.·Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology·2006

This study looked at whether two common viruses (HHV-6 and HHV-7) that usually stay dormant in the body might be reactivating in people with ME/CFS. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS were more likely to have both viruses active at the same time, and when both were active, their immune cells showed signs of stress. This suggests these viruses might play a role in ME/CFS, though the study cannot prove they cause the disease.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Linear data mining the Wichita clinical matrix suggests sleep and allostatic load involvement in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Gurbaxani, Brian M, Jones, James F, Goertzel, Benjamin N et al.·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers analyzed clinical data from 164 ME/CFS patients and controls to identify patterns that distinguish the condition from health. Using mathematical techniques to find which body measurements best separated the two groups, they found that sleep problems and markers of physical stress (allostatic load) were important—though no single measurement was strongly predictive on its own. The study suggests that ME/CFS may involve multiple interconnected biological changes rather than one simple cause.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

In search of a new balance. Can high "action-proneness" in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome be changed by a multidisciplinary group treatment?

Van Houdenhove, Boudewijn, Bruyninckx, Karolien, Luyten, Patrick·Journal of psychosomatic research·2006

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS who tend to be very action-oriented or driven can change this trait through treatment. Researchers asked 62 patients to recall how active and driven they were before getting sick, when they started treatment, and after completing a multidisciplinary program (which included cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise). The treatment did help increase action-proneness, though patients didn't return to their pre-illness levels.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Early adverse experience and risk for chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study.

Heim, Christine, Wagner, Dieter, Maloney, Elizabeth et al.·Archives of general psychiatry·2006

This study found that people with ME/CFS reported experiencing more childhood trauma (such as abuse or neglect) than people without the illness. The more types of trauma someone experienced as a child, the higher their risk of developing ME/CFS later in life. The connection between childhood trauma and ME/CFS risk was stronger when people also had depression, anxiety, or PTSD.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Depression, attribution style and self-esteem in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia patients: is there a link?

Michielsen, H J, Van Houdenhove, B, Leirs, I et al.·Clinical rheumatology·2006

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia who blame external factors (rather than themselves) for problems are protected from depression. Researchers surveyed 85 patients and found that depression was common in both single diagnosis (ME/CFS only) and dual diagnosis (ME/CFS + fibromyalgia) groups. Blaming external factors did not prevent depression in patients with low self-esteem, suggesting that how we think about our situation may not be a key factor in whether we develop depression.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Chronic fatigue syndrome and high allostatic load.

Maloney, Elizabeth M, Gurbaxani, Brian M, Jones, James F et al.·Pharmacogenomics·2006

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have higher "allostatic load"—a measure of how much physical stress the body is under based on things like blood pressure, cortisol levels, and waist-to-hip ratio. Researchers compared 43 ME/CFS patients to 60 healthy people and found that ME/CFS patients were about twice as likely to have high allostatic load. This suggests that ME/CFS may involve ongoing physical stress on the body's systems.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have reduced absolute cortical blood flow.

Yoshiuchi, Kazuhiro, Farkas, Jeffrey, Natelson, Benjamin H·Clinical physiology and functional imaging·2006

This study used advanced brain imaging to measure blood flow in the brains of 25 ME/CFS patients and 7 healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had less blood flowing to parts of their brain compared to healthy controls, especially those without concurrent psychiatric conditions. This reduced blood flow might help explain some of the cognitive and physical symptoms ME/CFS patients experience.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

A case control study of premorbid and currently reported physical activity levels in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Smith, Wayne R, White, Peter D, Buchwald, Dedra·BMC psychiatry·2006

This study compared 33 people with chronic fatigue to 33 healthy people of similar age and sex. Researchers asked both groups about their physical activity before and during the study. People with chronic fatigue reported being much more active before they got sick, but now they spend significantly less time standing and walking (about 4 hours per day versus 9 hours for healthy people) and much more time lying down or reclining.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Coping styles in people with chronic fatigue syndrome identified from the general population of Wichita, KS.

Nater, Urs M, Wagner, Dieter, Solomon, Laura et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2006

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS cope with their illness compared to people without ME/CFS. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS tend to use more escape-avoiding coping strategies (like avoidance or wishful thinking) than healthy controls. Interestingly, people with unexplained fatigue that didn't meet full ME/CFS criteria used similar coping styles to those with ME/CFS, suggesting this pattern may be common across fatiguing illnesses.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Screening for psychological distress using internet administration of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome.

McCue, Patricia, Buchanan, Tom, Martin, Colin R·The British journal of clinical psychology·2006

This study tested whether an online questionnaire called the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) accurately measures anxiety and depression in people with ME/CFS. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS did have higher anxiety and depression scores than healthy controls, but the online format may have artificially inflated these scores. The questionnaire appears useful for screening but measures three different aspects of emotional distress rather than just two as previously thought.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Mortality in a cohort of chronically fatigued patients.

Smith, Wayne R, Noonan, Carolyn, Buchwald, Dedra·Psychological medicine·2006

Researchers tracked 1,201 patients with chronic fatigue for up to 14 years to see if the condition was linked to higher death rates. They found that overall death rates were normal, but suicide rates were much higher than expected in the general population—especially among patients with chronic fatigue who did NOT meet the full criteria for ME/CFS, and particularly those with a history of depression.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Probing the working memory system in chronic fatigue syndrome: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using the n-back task.

Caseras, Xavier, Mataix-Cols, David, Giampietro, Vincent et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2006

Researchers used brain imaging to study how people with ME/CFS perform memory tasks. Although patients and healthy people did equally well on the tasks, their brains used different patterns of activity—patients showed unusual activation in certain brain regions during easier tasks and reduced activity in key memory areas during harder tasks. This suggests that people with ME/CFS may need to work harder mentally to achieve the same results.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Influence of melatonin on fatigue severity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and late melatonin secretion.

van Heukelom, R O, Prins, J B, Smits, M G et al.·European journal of neurology·2006

This study tested whether melatonin could help reduce fatigue in ME/CFS patients who have a delayed internal body clock. Twenty-nine patients took 5 mg of melatonin for 3 months timed to their natural sleep-wake rhythm, and researchers measured changes in their fatigue using a validated questionnaire. The treatment improved fatigue, concentration, motivation, and activity levels, with the biggest improvements seen in patients whose body clocks were most delayed.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

An empirical delineation of the heterogeneity of chronic unexplained fatigue in women.

Vollmer-Conna, Uté, Aslakson, Eric, White, Peter D·Pharmacogenomics·2006

This study looked at 159 women to understand why chronic fatigue affects people differently. Researchers used statistical analysis to group the women into distinct clusters based on their symptoms, sleep patterns, hormone levels, and stress responses. They found that chronic fatigue is not one single condition, but rather several different conditions with different underlying causes—some linked to sleep problems, others to depression, obesity, or hormonal changes.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The epidemiology of chronic fatigue in the Swedish Twin Registry.

Evengård, Birgitta, Jacks, Andreas, Pedersen, Nancy L et al.·Psychological medicine·2005

This Swedish study contacted over 31,000 people and found that about 2.4% had symptoms matching chronic fatigue syndrome. Women were nearly four times more likely to have these symptoms than men. The researchers were surprised to find that ME/CFS may be more common than doctors previously thought.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Plasma and urinary carnitine and acylcarnitines in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jones, Mark G, Goodwin, C Stewart, Amjad, Saira et al.·Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry·2005

Researchers tested whether people with ME/CFS have low levels of carnitine, a substance that helps muscles produce energy. They compared blood and urine samples from 31 ME/CFS patients with samples from healthy people and patients with other conditions. The study found no significant differences in carnitine levels between the groups, suggesting that low carnitine is not responsible for the fatigue experienced by ME/CFS patients.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Oxidative stress levels are raised in chronic fatigue syndrome and are associated with clinical symptoms.

Kennedy, Gwen, Spence, Vance A, McLaren, Margaret et al.·Free radical biology & medicine·2005

This study measured harmful molecules called free radicals in the blood of ME/CFS patients and compared them to healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had higher levels of these damaging molecules, and in patients without heart disease risk factors, the amount of free radicals correlated with how severe their symptoms were, particularly fatigue after exertion and joint pain.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

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Evaluation of maximal exercise performance, fatigue, and depression in athletes with acquired chronic training intolerance.

Linkages between goal attainment and quality of life for individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome-like caseness as a predictor of work status in fatigued employees on sick leave: four year follow up study.

Activation of human herpesviruses 6 and 7 in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Linear data mining the Wichita clinical matrix suggests sleep and allostatic load involvement in chronic fatigue syndrome.

In search of a new balance. Can high "action-proneness" in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome be changed by a multidisciplinary group treatment?

Early adverse experience and risk for chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study.

Depression, attribution style and self-esteem in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia patients: is there a link?

Chronic fatigue syndrome and high allostatic load.

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have reduced absolute cortical blood flow.

A case control study of premorbid and currently reported physical activity levels in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Coping styles in people with chronic fatigue syndrome identified from the general population of Wichita, KS.

Screening for psychological distress using internet administration of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mortality in a cohort of chronically fatigued patients.

Probing the working memory system in chronic fatigue syndrome: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using the n-back task.

Influence of melatonin on fatigue severity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and late melatonin secretion.

An empirical delineation of the heterogeneity of chronic unexplained fatigue in women.

The epidemiology of chronic fatigue in the Swedish Twin Registry.

Plasma and urinary carnitine and acylcarnitines in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Oxidative stress levels are raised in chronic fatigue syndrome and are associated with clinical symptoms.

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