ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2785 studies

2101–2120 of 2,785 studies

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome and sexual dysfunction.

Vermeulen, Ruud C W, Scholte, Hans R·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study examined whether women with ME/CFS experience more sexual problems than healthy women. Researchers surveyed 35 women with ME/CFS and 36 healthy women using questionnaires about fatigue and sexual function. Interestingly, the women with ME/CFS reported similar levels of sexual satisfaction as healthy women, even though they had significantly higher fatigue levels.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Study of immune alterations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with different etiologies.

Racciatti, D, Dalessandro, M, Delle Donne, L et al.·International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology·2004

This study looked at immune system cells in people with ME/CFS to see if there were differences compared to healthy people. Researchers tested blood samples from 139 ME/CFS patients and 36 healthy controls, examining specific types of white blood cells. They found that people with ME/CFS had lower counts of certain immune cells, suggesting the immune system may play a role in causing or maintaining the condition.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

The distribution of white blood cell fat oxidation in health and disease.

Pendergast, D R, Fisher, N M, Meksawan, K et al.·Journal of inherited metabolic disease·2004

This study looked at how white blood cells use fat for energy in different groups of people, including those with ME/CFS. Researchers measured fat burning in blood cells from healthy controls, people with ME/CFS, people with other conditions, and athletes. They found that people with ME/CFS had unusually high fat oxidation in their white blood cells, while people with a genetic disorder (CPT II deficiency) had very low fat oxidation.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Gastric emptying is slow in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Burnet, Richard B, Chatterton, Barry E·BMC gastroenterology·2004

This study found that people with ME/CFS often have stomach problems that can be measured with special imaging tests. Researchers compared 32 ME/CFS patients with 45 healthy people and discovered that most ME/CFS patients had slower movement of food through their stomachs, particularly liquids. These measured stomach delays matched up with how severe patients' digestive symptoms were.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Regional distribution of fatiguing illnesses in the United States: a pilot study.

Bierl, Cynthia, Nisenbaum, Rosane, Hoaglin, David C et al.·Population health metrics·2004

Researchers called people across the United States and asked about chronic fatigue lasting at least 6 months. They estimated that about 2.2 million American adults have a condition that looks like ME/CFS based on symptoms alone, without medical testing. The study found that fatiguing illnesses were slightly more common in rural areas than cities, but there were no major differences between different regions of the country.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue and indicators of long-term employment disability in psychosomatic inpatients.

Tritt, Karin, Nickel, Marius, Mitterlehner, Ferdinand et al.·Wiener klinische Wochenschrift·2004

This study looked at 1,000 patients at a hospital clinic to understand why some people with severe, persistent exhaustion become unable to work. The researchers found that patients who couldn't work had stronger focus on physical symptoms, difficulty recognizing their own feelings, and trouble getting along with coworkers—not necessarily because they were sicker, but because of how they coped with their condition.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sociodemographic and symptom correlates of fatigue in an adolescent primary care sample.

Mears, Cynthia J, Taylor, Renee R, Jordan, Karen M et al.·The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine·2004

This study looked at how common fatigue lasting more than one month is in teenagers visiting primary care clinics. Researchers found that about 8% of teens had prolonged fatigue and 4.4% had symptoms matching CFS-like illness. Teens with prolonged fatigue were more likely to also experience headaches, muscle pain, fever, and fatigue that worsened with exercise.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Posttraumatic stress disorder and physical illness: results from clinical and epidemiologic studies.

Boscarino, Joseph A·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2004

This study looked at whether people with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) are more likely to develop physical illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome. Researchers examined nearly 2,500 Vietnam veterans and found that those with chronic PTSD had higher rates of autoimmune diseases and showed immune system changes that could explain why trauma survivors develop long-lasting health problems.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Associations between neuroendocrine responses to the Insulin Tolerance Test and patient characteristics in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Gaab, Jens, Engert, Veronika, Heitz, Vera et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study tested whether ME/CFS patients have problems with their stress hormone system (the HPA axis). Researchers gave 18 ME/CFS patients and 17 healthy controls a special test that triggers the body's stress response and measured their hormones. They found that ME/CFS patients had a weaker hormone response, and this weakness was linked to how long someone had been sick and how severe their fatigue was.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome: objective measures of sleep.

Ball, Nigel, Buchwald, Dedra S, Schmidt, Douglas et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study compared sleep patterns between people with ME/CFS and their healthy identical twins using objective sleep monitoring. While people with ME/CFS showed some differences—including more deep sleep, more REM sleep, and more breathing interruptions during sleep—most standard sleep measurements were similar between the two groups. The researchers concluded that sleep structure problems alone don't fully explain why ME/CFS patients experience such severe sleep complaints.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Cognitive processing in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mahurin, Roderick K, Claypoole, Keith H, Goldberg, Jack H et al.·Neuropsychology·2004

This study tested thinking and processing speed in identical twins where one had ME/CFS and one didn't, compared to healthy people without the condition. Researchers found that both twin groups—even the healthy ones—were slower at tasks requiring quick thinking compared to unrelated healthy controls, but both groups performed equally well on untimed thinking tasks. This suggests that slower processing speed may run in families rather than being caused by ME/CFS itself.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prevalence of chronic disabling fatigue in children and adolescents.

Farmer, Anne, Fowler, Tom, Scourfield, Jane et al.·The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2004

This study looked at how common disabling fatigue is in children and teenagers aged 8-17 years old. Researchers asked parents whether their children had ever experienced periods of extreme tiredness lasting more than a few days, and then followed up with phone interviews. They found that about 2-3% of young people experienced disabling fatigue lasting at least 3 months, while about 1% met criteria similar to adult ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

The economic impact of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Reynolds, Kenneth J, Vernon, Suzanne D, Bouchery, Ellen et al.·Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E·2004

This study looked at how much money people with ME/CFS lose because they cannot work or be as productive at home. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS lose about $20,000 per year in productivity on average, and the total cost to the United States economy is around $9.1 billion annually. This financial burden is similar to what other serious diseases like digestive disorders or nervous system conditions cost the country.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

IgM serum antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus are uniquely present in a subset of patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lerner, A Martin, Beqaj, Safedin H, Deeter, Robert G et al.·In vivo (Athens, Greece)·2004

Researchers tested blood samples from 58 ME/CFS patients and 68 healthy controls for antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus that causes mononucleosis. They found that about half of the ME/CFS patients (33 out of 58) had elevated levels of a specific type of antibody called IgM against EBV, while none of the healthy controls had this pattern. These antibody levels stayed elevated in ME/CFS patients for up to 3.5 years, suggesting this test might help identify a particular subgroup of ME/CFS patients.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Perceived stigma in functional somatic syndromes and comparable medical conditions.

Looper, Karl J, Kirmayer, Laurence J·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study compared how stigmatized patients felt when living with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, or IBS compared to patients with similar-sounding conditions that have clearer medical tests (like MS, rheumatoid arthritis, or inflammatory bowel disease). ME/CFS patients reported feeling more stigma than MS patients, but fibromyalgia and IBS patients did not feel significantly more stigmatized than their comparison groups. The researchers suggest that ME/CFS may feel more stigmatizing because its medical status is less clearly understood by the public and medical community.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents: a follow-up study.

Gill, Anna C, Dosen, Ana, Ziegler, John B·Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine·2004

This study followed teenagers with severe fatigue for up to 8 years to see how many got better. Teenagers who had been fatigued for less than 6 months all recovered completely. Those diagnosed with ME/CFS had worse outcomes, with less than a quarter showing near-complete improvement, though some did get partially better. Being admitted to the hospital did not change whether teenagers recovered or not.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Patterns of cardiovascular reactivity in disease diagnosis.

Naschitz, J E, Rosner, I, Rozenbaum, M et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·2004

This study looked at how the heart and blood vessels respond to changes in body position (lying down versus standing up) in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people and those with other conditions. Researchers used a simple test where patients lie down and then tilt upright while measuring heart rate and blood vessel changes. They found that people with ME/CFS have a distinctive pattern of heart and blood vessel responses that could help doctors identify the condition.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

General practitioners' perceptions of chronic fatigue syndrome and beliefs about its management, compared with irritable bowel syndrome: qualitative study.

Raine, Rosalind, Carter, Simon, Sensky, Tom et al.·BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2004

This study asked 46 general practitioners (GPs) in England about their views on ME/CFS and compared these with their views on irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers found that many GPs held negative stereotypes about ME/CFS patients, viewing them unfavorably because the condition has no clear physical marker, changes how it's classified over time, and conflicts with traditional ideas about work and illness. These negative attitudes made it harder for GPs to provide effective care.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Association between chronic fatigue syndrome and the corticosteroid-binding globulin gene ALA SER224 polymorphism.

Torpy, David J, Bachmann, A W, Gartside, M et al.·Endocrine research·2004

This study investigated whether a specific genetic variation in a gene called CBG (corticosteroid-binding globulin) might increase the risk of developing ME/CFS. The researchers compared 248 ME/CFS patients with 248 healthy controls and found a trend suggesting that people with two copies of a particular genetic variant (called serine224) were more common among ME/CFS patients. This variant was associated with higher CBG levels in the blood but lower cortisol levels, which could affect how the body manages stress and inflammation.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Peripheral cholinergic function in humans with chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War syndrome and with illness following organophosphate exposure.

Khan, Faisel, Kennedy, Gwen, Spence, Vance A et al.·Clinical science (London, England : 1979)·2004

Researchers tested how blood vessels in the forearm respond to acetylcholine (a chemical messenger in the body) in people with ME/CFS, Gulf War illness, and pesticide exposure. They found that people with ME/CFS had an unusually strong vascular response to acetylcholine, but people with the other two conditions had normal responses. This suggests ME/CFS may involve a specific problem with how the body breaks down acetylcholine in blood vessels.

Autonomic Nervous System

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Chronic fatigue syndrome and sexual dysfunction.

Study of immune alterations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with different etiologies.

The distribution of white blood cell fat oxidation in health and disease.

Gastric emptying is slow in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Regional distribution of fatiguing illnesses in the United States: a pilot study.

Chronic fatigue and indicators of long-term employment disability in psychosomatic inpatients.

Sociodemographic and symptom correlates of fatigue in an adolescent primary care sample.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and physical illness: results from clinical and epidemiologic studies.

Associations between neuroendocrine responses to the Insulin Tolerance Test and patient characteristics in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome: objective measures of sleep.

Cognitive processing in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Prevalence of chronic disabling fatigue in children and adolescents.

The economic impact of chronic fatigue syndrome.

IgM serum antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus are uniquely present in a subset of patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Perceived stigma in functional somatic syndromes and comparable medical conditions.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents: a follow-up study.

Patterns of cardiovascular reactivity in disease diagnosis.

General practitioners' perceptions of chronic fatigue syndrome and beliefs about its management, compared with irritable bowel syndrome: qualitative study.

Association between chronic fatigue syndrome and the corticosteroid-binding globulin gene ALA SER224 polymorphism.

Peripheral cholinergic function in humans with chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War syndrome and with illness following organophosphate exposure.

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