ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2768 studies

2381–2400 of 2,768 studies

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Critical life events, infections, and symptoms during the year preceding chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): an examination of CFS patients and subjects with a nonspecific life crisis.

Theorell, T, Blomkvist, V, Lindh, G et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·1999

This study looked at whether stressful life events and infections in the months before ME/CFS develops might play a role in triggering the illness. Researchers interviewed 46 people with ME/CFS and 46 matched control subjects without the illness, asking them to recall what happened and how they felt month-by-month for a year. They found that people who developed ME/CFS experienced more infections and stressful events—especially in the 3 months right before onset—and their fatigue, pain, and fever symptoms stayed very high even after diagnosis, unlike the control group who recovered.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Absence of evidence of Borna disease virus infection in Swedish patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Evengård, B, Briese, T, Lindh, G et al.·Journal of neurovirology·1999

Researchers tested whether a virus called Borna disease virus (BDV) might be causing ME/CFS in Swedish patients. They examined blood samples from 169 patients and 62 healthy controls using two different detection methods—one looking for antibodies (immune system markers) and another looking for viral genetic material. They found no evidence of BDV in any of the patient samples, suggesting this particular virus is not responsible for ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Vitamin B status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Heap, L C, Peters, T J, Wessely, S·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have lower levels of three B vitamins (B6, B2, and B1) compared to healthy people. Researchers measured how well these vitamins work in red blood cells from 12 ME/CFS patients and 18 healthy controls. They found that all three B vitamins appeared to be functioning less effectively in ME/CFS patients, suggesting a possible vitamin deficiency that might contribute to symptoms.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cardiovascular response during head-up tilt in chronic fatigue syndrome.

LaManca, J J, Peckerman, A, Walker, J et al.·Clinical physiology (Oxford, England)·1999

This study tested how the hearts of ME/CFS patients respond to positional changes using a tilt table test, where participants lie flat then are gradually tilted upward for 45 minutes. While ME/CFS patients showed different baseline heart rates and heart pumping patterns compared to healthy controls, the overall frequency of fainting-like responses was similar between the two groups.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Patterns of orthostatic intolerance: the orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and adolescent chronic fatigue.

Stewart, J M, Gewitz, M H, Weldon, A et al.·The Journal of pediatrics·1999

This study looked at how the hearts and blood pressure of adolescents with ME/CFS and a related condition called orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (OTS) respond when they stand up or are tilted upright. Researchers found that adolescents with ME/CFS had more severe problems with standing (like dizziness and fainting) than those with OTS, but the underlying patterns were quite similar. The study suggests that OTS may be a milder version of the same blood pressure and heart rate problems seen in ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Mercury and nickel allergy: risk factors in fatigue and autoimmunity.

Sterzl, Ivan, Procházková, Jarmila, Hrdá, Pavlína et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·1999

This study tested whether allergies to metals like mercury (found in old dental fillings) and nickel might trigger fatigue and autoimmune problems in people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared three groups of tired patients with healthy controls and found that people with fatigue were more sensitive to these metals. When some patients had their mercury-containing fillings removed and replaced, their fatigue improved significantly.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Brain MRI abnormalities exist in a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lange, G, DeLuca, J, Maldjian, J A et al.·Journal of the neurological sciences·1999

Researchers used brain MRI scans to look for abnormalities in people with ME/CFS and compared them to healthy controls. They found that some ME/CFS patients—specifically those without a separate psychiatric diagnosis—had small spots of unusual tissue in the white matter of their brains, mostly in the frontal lobes (the front part of the brain). These brain changes were not found in healthy people or in ME/CFS patients who also had psychiatric diagnoses.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Metal-specific lymphocytes: biomarkers of sensitivity in man.

Stejskal, Vera DM, Danersund, Antero, Lindvall, Anders et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS-like symptoms had immune reactions to metals in their dental fillings and other restorations. Researchers found that many patients had immune cells that reacted to metals like mercury, nickel, and gold, and that 76% of patients who replaced their metal restorations with non-metal alternatives reported feeling better. The study suggests that metal sensitivity might trigger inflammatory responses that contribute to chronic fatigue and related conditions.

Immune System

E2 ModerateMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Desmopressin augments pituitary-adrenal responsivity to corticotropin-releasing hormone in subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome and in healthy volunteers.

Scott, L V, Medbak, S, Dinan, T G·Biological psychiatry·1999

This study tested whether a synthetic hormone called desmopressin could improve how the pituitary gland responds to stress signals in people with ME/CFS. Researchers gave ME/CFS patients and healthy volunteers different hormone combinations and measured their stress hormone responses. When desmopressin was added to another hormone (CRH), it boosted the pituitary gland's response in both groups, but especially in people with ME/CFS.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Detection of borna disease virus-reactive antibodies from patients with psychiatric disorders and from horses by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

Yamaguchi, K, Sawada, T, Naraki, T et al.·Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology·1999

Researchers developed a new blood test to detect antibodies against Borna disease virus (BDV), a virus found in animals. They tested thousands of blood samples from people with various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, and found that people with schizophrenia and mood disorders had higher rates of BDV antibodies compared to healthy blood donors. However, people with chronic fatigue syndrome did not show elevated BDV antibodies in this study.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Absence of Borrelia burgdorferi-specific immune complexes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Schutzer, S E, Natelson, B H·Neurology·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have signs of Lyme disease infection in their blood. Researchers compared 39 ME/CFS patients to 40 healthy people using a specialized test that looks for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. None of the patients or controls showed signs of this infection, suggesting that Lyme disease is not the hidden cause of ME/CFS in people without typical Lyme disease symptoms like the characteristic rash or joint problems.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Domestic violence and sexual abuse in women physicians: associated medical, psychiatric, and professional difficulties.

Doyle, J P, Frank, E, Saltzman, L E et al.·Journal of women's health & gender-based medicine·1999

This study looked at how common domestic violence and sexual abuse are among women doctors and what health problems they experience afterward. Researchers surveyed over 4,500 women physicians and found that those who had experienced domestic violence or sexual abuse were more likely to report depression, substance abuse, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The study suggests these traumatic experiences can have lasting effects on doctors' physical and mental health.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A community-based study of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jason, L A, Richman, J A, Rademaker, A W et al.·Archives of internal medicine·1999

Researchers in Chicago called nearly 29,000 adults to find out how many people have ME/CFS. They found that about 0.42% of the general population has the condition—roughly 1 in 240 people. The study showed that ME/CFS affects women, minority groups, and people with lower education levels more often than previously thought, challenging the old idea that it mainly affected white middle-class people.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Personality and social attitudes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wood, B, Wessely, S·Journal of psychosomatic research·1999

This study compared personality traits and attitudes between people with ME/CFS and people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to see if ME/CFS patients have distinctive personality characteristics. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients and RA patients were actually quite similar in most personality measures, and the common stereotype that ME/CFS patients are perfectionists with negative views about psychiatry was not supported.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prediction of peak oxygen uptake in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mullis, R, Campbell, I T, Wearden, A J et al.·British journal of sports medicine·1999

Researchers tested 130 ME/CFS patients on exercise bikes to measure their peak oxygen uptake (fitness capacity). They found a simple formula could accurately predict oxygen uptake from how hard patients could work during the test, with only a 10.7% average error. Importantly, almost all patients (97%) reported no worsening of symptoms after this maximal exercise test.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Physical activity before and after exercise in women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sisto, S A, Tapp, W N, LaManca, J J et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·1998

This study tracked the physical activity of 20 women with ME/CFS and 20 healthy volunteers for two weeks using a movement monitor worn at the waist. After all participants did a strenuous treadmill exercise test, researchers measured how their activity changed. Women with ME/CFS showed a noticeable drop in activity levels after the exercise, with the biggest decrease happening around days 12-14, and they took more rest breaks during the day.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Rhinitis symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Baraniuk, J N, Clauw, D J, Gaumond, E·Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology·1998

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have more nasal and sinus problems than the general population. Researchers compared 51 ME/CFS patients with healthy controls and people with allergies, using questionnaires and allergy skin tests. They found that most ME/CFS patients reported significant nasal and sinus symptoms, but about half of these cases appeared to be non-allergic in nature.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Salivary cortisol profiles in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wood, B, Wessely, S, Papadopoulos, A et al.·Neuropsychobiology·1998

This study measured cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in the saliva of 10 people with ME/CFS and 10 healthy people over a 16-hour period. Contrary to some earlier research, people with ME/CFS actually had slightly higher cortisol levels on average than healthy controls. This finding suggests that low cortisol is not the cause of fatigue in ME/CFS.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Lack of seasonal variation of symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

García-Borreguero, D, Dale, J K, Rosenthal, N E et al.·Psychiatry research·1998

Many people experience changes in energy, mood, appetite, and sleep across different seasons, often feeling worse in winter. This study tested whether ME/CFS patients experience these same seasonal changes. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients actually show much less seasonal variation in their symptoms compared to healthy people, suggesting their fatigue and other symptoms stay relatively constant year-round rather than fluctuating with the seasons.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Cancer and a fatiguing illness in Northern Nevada--a causal hypothesis.

Levine, P H, Fears, T R, Cummings, P et al.·Annals of epidemiology·1998

Researchers compared cancer rates in two areas of Nevada where an unexplained fatiguing illness (including ME/CFS cases) occurred in the 1980s against an area with no reported illness. They found higher rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and brain tumors in the affected areas, but similar rates of breast and lung cancer. The authors suggest this could mean ME/CFS might increase cancer risk, but they emphasize it's too early to draw firm conclusions.

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Critical life events, infections, and symptoms during the year preceding chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): an examination of CFS patients and subjects with a nonspecific life crisis.

Absence of evidence of Borna disease virus infection in Swedish patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Vitamin B status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cardiovascular response during head-up tilt in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Patterns of orthostatic intolerance: the orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and adolescent chronic fatigue.

Mercury and nickel allergy: risk factors in fatigue and autoimmunity.

Brain MRI abnormalities exist in a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Metal-specific lymphocytes: biomarkers of sensitivity in man.

Desmopressin augments pituitary-adrenal responsivity to corticotropin-releasing hormone in subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome and in healthy volunteers.

Detection of borna disease virus-reactive antibodies from patients with psychiatric disorders and from horses by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

Absence of Borrelia burgdorferi-specific immune complexes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Domestic violence and sexual abuse in women physicians: associated medical, psychiatric, and professional difficulties.

A community-based study of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Personality and social attitudes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Prediction of peak oxygen uptake in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Physical activity before and after exercise in women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Rhinitis symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Salivary cortisol profiles in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lack of seasonal variation of symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cancer and a fatiguing illness in Northern Nevada--a causal hypothesis.

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