ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2785 studies

2121–2140 of 2,785 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Illness and disability in Danish Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients at diagnosis and 5-year follow-up.

Andersen, M M, Permin, H, Albrecht, F·Journal of psychosomatic research·2004

This study followed 33 people with ME/CFS for 5 years to see how their illness affected their daily lives. Researchers found that most people remained severely disabled, with very few experiencing meaningful recovery. While emotional well-being sometimes improved over time, problems like difficulty reading and allergies often got worse.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome and other fatiguing illnesses in adolescents: a population-based study.

Jones, James F, Nisenbaum, Rosane, Solomon, Laura et al.·The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine·2004

Researchers surveyed families in Kansas to see how many adolescents (ages 12-17) had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or other long-term fatigue illnesses. They found that CFS is much less common in teenagers than in adults. When both teens and their parents were carefully evaluated by doctors, none of the participating teenagers actually met the full definition of CFS, though some had prolonged fatigue from other causes.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Elevated levels of some neuroactive progesterone metabolites, particularly isopregnanolone, in women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Murphy, B E Pearson, Abbott, F V, Allison, C M et al.·Psychoneuroendocrinology·2004

Researchers measured hormone breakdown products in the blood of women with ME/CFS and compared them to healthy women. They found that women with ME/CFS had significantly higher levels of a specific progesterone metabolite called isopregnanolone—more than twice as high as controls. This suggests that abnormal hormone metabolism may be involved in ME/CFS, and that depression alone cannot explain these chemical differences.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Predictive immunophenotypes: disease-related profile in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Stewart, Carleton C, Cookfair, Diane L, Hovey, Kathleen M et al.·Cytometry. Part B, Clinical cytometry·2003

This study compared immune system cells called natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T cells between people with ME/CFS and healthy controls. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had different patterns of these immune cells compared to healthy people, but interestingly, healthy people living in the same town as ME/CFS cases had immune cell patterns that looked more similar to ME/CFS patients. This suggests that living in an area where ME/CFS is common might affect how people's immune systems work.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Abnormal impedance cardiography predicts symptom severity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Peckerman, Arnold, LaManca, John J, Dahl, Kristina A et al.·The American journal of the medical sciences·2003

Researchers used a special test called impedance cardiography to measure how much blood the heart pumps in patients with ME/CFS. They found that people with severe ME/CFS had weaker heart output compared to healthy controls and those with milder ME/CFS. Importantly, symptoms like post-exertion fatigue and flu-like feelings were strongly linked to this reduced circulation, suggesting a physical problem with blood flow may be connected to symptom severity.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

[Chronic fatigue syndrome following tick-borne diseases].

Gustaw, Katarzyna·Neurologia i neurochirurgia polska·2003

This study looked at whether ME/CFS develops more often in people who have had tick-borne infections like Lyme disease (borreliosis) or tick-borne encephalitis. Researchers examined 86 patients with a history of these infections and found that about half developed ME/CFS. Notably, 71% of those who had Lyme disease developed ME/CFS, compared to only 24% of those who had tick-borne encephalitis. When patients with Lyme disease history were treated with standard ME/CFS treatments, about 61% felt better.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep and chronic pain: challenges to the alpha-EEG sleep pattern as a pain specific sleep anomaly.

Rains, Jeanetta C, Penzien, Donald B·Journal of psychosomatic research·2003

Researchers looked at a brain wave pattern during sleep called alpha-EEG, which has been thought to be linked to chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. They found that this sleep pattern was uncommon (only 5% of patients) and occurred in people with chronic pain, psychiatric conditions, and other medical problems. Surprisingly, less than 40% of people with this sleep pattern actually had chronic pain, suggesting the pattern alone does not cause pain.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children: a cross sectional survey.

Patel, M X, Smith, D G, Chalder, T et al.·Archives of disease in childhood·2003

This study looked at 36 children with ME/CFS who were seen at a specialist clinic in England. Most children improved significantly or returned to normal health, and those who received treatment attended school more often. However, about one-third of children left school without any qualifications, showing that ME/CFS can seriously disrupt education even when health improves.

Interventions

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Prospective study of the prognosis of unexplained chronic fatigue in a clinic-based cohort.

Schmaling, Karen B, Fiedelak, Jessica I, Katon, Wayne J et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2003

This study followed 100 patients with unexplained chronic fatigue for 18 months to see how their symptoms changed over time. Researchers found that about 1 in 5 patients no longer met criteria for chronic fatigue by the end of the study, and energy levels improved somewhat, but fatigue symptoms themselves did not decrease much. Mental health, education level, employment status, and how people thought about their symptoms were important factors in predicting whether patients would improve or get worse.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Differences between patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and with chronic fatigue at an infectious disease clinic in Stockholm, Sweden.

Evengård, Birgitta, Jonzon, Eva, Sandberg, Anneli et al.·Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences·2003

This study compared two groups of people with severe, long-lasting fatigue seen at an infectious disease clinic in Sweden: those who met criteria for ME/CFS and those with chronic fatigue (CF) but not ME/CFS. The main finding was that ME/CFS patients reported more physical symptoms and work disability, and most had a sudden onset following an infection, whereas CF patients had more mental health symptoms and a more gradual, burnout-like pattern. The researchers suggest these may be two different conditions with different underlying causes.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Experimental evidence for interpretive but not attention biases towards somatic information in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Moss-Morris, Rona, Petrie, Keith J·British journal of health psychology·2003

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS interpret ambiguous words and sounds. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients were more likely to interpret unclear words in a physical/health-related way compared to healthy people, and this tendency was linked to how many symptoms they reported. However, the study did not find that ME/CFS patients were more distracted by illness-related words on a color-naming task.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Non-vascular claudication: a clinical conundrum.

Fasih, T, Pickin, M, Cuschieri, R J·International journal of clinical practice·2003

Doctors sometimes see patients complaining of leg pain that resembles poor circulation (claudication), but the pain isn't actually caused by blood vessel problems. This study looked at over 1,000 patients with suspected circulation problems and found that 33 had other causes for their symptoms, including spine problems, nerve damage, or other conditions. One patient was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The study highlights that doctors need to correctly identify the real cause of symptoms before recommending treatments.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Detection of enterovirus in human skeletal muscle from patients with chronic inflammatory muscle disease or fibromyalgia and healthy subjects.

Douche-Aourik, Fatima, Berlier, Willy, Féasson, Léonard et al.·Journal of medical virology·2003

Researchers tested muscle tissue samples from patients with fibromyalgia/ME/CFS and inflammatory muscle diseases to see if they contained enterovirus (a type of virus). They found viral genetic material in some patient samples but not in healthy people, though they did not find evidence of active viral proteins. This suggests that if a virus is present, it may be dormant or not fully active in muscle tissue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

The economic cost of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in UK primary care.

McCrone, P, Darbishire, L, Ridsdale, L et al.·Psychological medicine·2003

This study looked at how much money ME/CFS costs patients and society in the UK. Researchers tracked what healthcare services patients used over 3 months and how much work they missed. They found that ME/CFS is very expensive, costing an average of £3,515 per patient over 3 months, mostly because patients need help from family and friends and can't work, rather than from doctor visits and medical treatments.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Complement activation in a model of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sorensen, Bristol, Streib, Joanne E, Strand, Matthew et al.·The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology·2003

Researchers asked people with ME/CFS and healthy controls to exercise on a stationary bike, then tracked their symptoms and blood markers over the following week. They found that people with ME/CFS had a specific increase in a immune system marker called C4a six hours after exercise, and their fatigue and reduced activity worsened significantly, while healthy controls did not show these changes.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness among Gulf War veterans: a population-based survey of 30,000 veterans.

Kang, Han K, Natelson, Benjamin H, Mahan, Clare M et al.·American journal of epidemiology·2003

This study compared Gulf War veterans to non-deployed veterans and found that those who served in the Gulf War had much higher rates of both PTSD and a condition resembling ME/CFS. Interestingly, while PTSD risk increased steadily with exposure to combat stress, ME/CFS-like illness only became more common at lower stress levels, suggesting that factors beyond stress alone may have caused the fatigue condition in Gulf War veterans.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Aerobic capacity of Gulf War veterans with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nagelkirk, Paul R, Cook, Dane B, Peckerman, Arnold et al.·Military medicine·2003

This study tested whether Gulf War veterans with ME/CFS had reduced exercise capacity compared to healthy Gulf War veterans. Researchers measured how well the heart and lungs worked during maximum exercise on a stationary bike. Surprisingly, the two groups performed similarly—those with ME/CFS were able to exercise just as hard and achieve similar fitness levels as the healthy veterans.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Comparison of subjective and objective measures of insomnia in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Watson, Nathaniel F, Kapur, Vishesh, Arguelles, Lester M et al.·Sleep·2003

People with ME/CFS report feeling like they sleep poorly and don't rest well, but when researchers measured their actual sleep using medical equipment, the sleep looked similar to their healthy identical twins. The main difference was that people with ME/CFS had more REM sleep (a specific sleep stage) and felt much less refreshed after sleeping, even though the equipment showed they were sleeping normally. This suggests that ME/CFS may involve a mismatch between how sleep actually is and how it feels.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Assessment of cardiovascular reactivity by fractal and recurrence quantification analysis of heart rate and pulse transit time.

Naschitz, J E, Rosner, I, Shaviv, N et al.·Journal of human hypertension·2003

Researchers tested how the hearts of people with ME/CFS respond to a simple physical challenge (tilting from lying down to sitting up). They measured heart rate and blood vessel responses using advanced mathematical analysis that detects patterns typically missed by standard methods. People with ME/CFS showed very different heart responses compared to healthy people and those with high blood pressure, suggesting their cardiovascular systems react abnormally to physical stress.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Medication use by persons with chronic fatigue syndrome: results of a randomized telephone survey in Wichita, Kansas.

Jones, James F, Nisenbaum, Rosane, Reeves, William C·Health and quality of life outcomes·2003

This study looked at what medications and supplements people with ME/CFS use compared to people without the illness. Researchers called people in Wichita, Kansas and identified those with ME/CFS, then invited them to a clinic visit where they reported all their medications and supplements. People with ME/CFS used about twice as many different drugs as healthy people, with pain relievers and vitamins being most common.

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Illness and disability in Danish Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients at diagnosis and 5-year follow-up.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and other fatiguing illnesses in adolescents: a population-based study.

Elevated levels of some neuroactive progesterone metabolites, particularly isopregnanolone, in women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Predictive immunophenotypes: disease-related profile in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Abnormal impedance cardiography predicts symptom severity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Chronic fatigue syndrome following tick-borne diseases].

Sleep and chronic pain: challenges to the alpha-EEG sleep pattern as a pain specific sleep anomaly.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children: a cross sectional survey.

Prospective study of the prognosis of unexplained chronic fatigue in a clinic-based cohort.

Differences between patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and with chronic fatigue at an infectious disease clinic in Stockholm, Sweden.

Experimental evidence for interpretive but not attention biases towards somatic information in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Non-vascular claudication: a clinical conundrum.

Detection of enterovirus in human skeletal muscle from patients with chronic inflammatory muscle disease or fibromyalgia and healthy subjects.

The economic cost of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in UK primary care.

Complement activation in a model of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness among Gulf War veterans: a population-based survey of 30,000 veterans.

Aerobic capacity of Gulf War veterans with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Comparison of subjective and objective measures of insomnia in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Assessment of cardiovascular reactivity by fractal and recurrence quantification analysis of heart rate and pulse transit time.

Medication use by persons with chronic fatigue syndrome: results of a randomized telephone survey in Wichita, Kansas.

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