ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2768 studies

241–260 of 2,768 studies

The German Multicenter Registry for ME/CFS (MECFS-R).

Hieber, Hannah, Pricoco, Rafael, Gerrer, Katrin et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

German researchers created a registry to collect detailed health information from ME/CFS patients across multiple medical centers. In their first group of 174 patients, they found that most had a viral illness before developing ME/CFS, with nearly half triggered by COVID-19. Patients reported severe fatigue and greatly reduced quality of life, with significant limitations in daily activities.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Phase-dependent trends in the prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) related to long COVID: A criteria-based retrospective study in Japan.

Morita, Satoru, Tokumasu, Kazuki, Otsuka, Yuki et al.·PloS one·2024

This study looked at 739 patients with long COVID to understand how many developed ME/CFS and what factors were involved. Researchers found that ME/CFS affected about 8% of long COVID patients, but the rate varied depending on which COVID variant caused the initial infection—it was much higher (24%) in early COVID but dropped significantly (3%) during the Omicron wave. Brain fog complaints increased over time, even as strict ME/CFS diagnoses became less common.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Impact of COVID-19 on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness prevalence: A cross-sectional survey.

Wood, Mariah S, Halmer, Nicole, Bertolli, Jeanne et al.·PloS one·2024

This study found that about 1.67% of adults in a large California health system have ME/CFS-like illness. While COVID-19 can trigger ME/CFS in some people, only about 14% of those with ME/CFS-like illness developed it after having COVID-19. People with ME/CFS-like illness reported significant difficulties with physical activities, work, relationships, and mental health compared to those without the condition.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearLongitudinal

Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID.

Appelman, Brent, Charlton, Braeden T, Goulding, Richie P et al.·Nature communications·2024

This study looked at muscle tissue changes in long COVID patients, particularly focusing on post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the worsening of fatigue and pain after activity. Researchers found that muscles in long COVID patients showed structural damage, metabolic problems, and unusual deposits that got worse after activity triggered PEM. These findings help explain why exertion makes symptoms worse in some long COVID patients.

Energy MetabolismPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The presence of attentional and interpretation biases in patients with severe MS-related fatigue.

de Gier, Marieke, Oosterman, Joukje M, Hughes, Alicia M et al.·British journal of health psychology·2024

This study looked at whether people with severe fatigue from MS or ME/CFS tend to notice fatigue-related information more readily or interpret unclear physical symptoms in a threatening way compared to healthy people. Researchers found that both MS and ME/CFS patients interpreted ambiguous body sensations as more threatening than healthy controls did, though there was no difference in how they paid attention to fatigue-related words. The way patients interpreted symptoms was linked to how they mentally responded to their symptoms.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Low-dose Naltrexone Improves post-COVID-19 condition Symptoms.

Tamariz, Leonardo, Bast, Elizabeth, Klimas, Nancy et al.·Clinical therapeutics·2024

This study looked at whether treatments used for ME/CFS could help people with long COVID. Researchers reviewed records from 108 patients who tried different treatments including low-dose naltrexone, amitriptyline, duloxetine, and physical therapy. They found that patients taking low-dose naltrexone were about 5 times more likely to improve compared to those doing physical therapy alone, with improvements in both fatigue and pain.

Pain and SensitizationCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Association of physical symptoms with accelerometer-measured movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID.

Rosa-Souza, Francisco José, Freire, Yuri Alberto, Galliano, Leony Morgana et al.·Scientific reports·2024

This study looked at 102 people with Long COVID to understand how specific symptoms affect their ability to move and be physically active. Researchers used activity trackers to measure daily movement and tested how far people could walk and how quickly they could stand up from a chair. They found that fatigue and post-exertional malaise (feeling worse after activity) were linked to lower daily step counts, while shortness of breath was linked to poorer performance on physical tests.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Connecting the dots: Network structures of internalizing and functional symptoms in a population-based cohort.

Saini, Urvi, Rosmalen, Judith G M, Oldehinkel, Albertine J et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2024

This study looked at how symptoms of depression, anxiety, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome are connected in over 70,000 people. Researchers found that these conditions tend to cluster separately, but are linked together through specific 'bridge' symptoms like fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and sleep problems. This helps explain why people often experience multiple conditions at the same time.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Discriminating Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and comorbid conditions using metabolomics in UK Biobank.

Huang, Katherine, G C de Sá, Alex, Thomas, Natalie et al.·Communications medicine·2024

Researchers studied blood samples from nearly 1,200 people with ME/CFS and compared them to people with other common conditions like depression, asthma, and thyroid problems. They found nine specific markers in the blood that, combined with basic health information, could identify ME/CFS patients about 70% of the time. This blood test approach could eventually help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more easily, since there is currently no definitive test for the condition.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

How Long Is Long COVID? Evaluation of Long-Term Health Status in Individuals Discharged from a Specialist Community Long COVID Service.

Bodey, Rochelle, Grimaldi, Jennifer, Tait, Hannah et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

This study followed people who had received specialist care for long COVID and were then discharged from the service. Nearly 3 years after their initial COVID infection, most patients (90%) still had long COVID symptoms and hadn't returned to their normal health. About 4 in 10 of these patients also met the criteria for ME/CFS, suggesting long COVID can develop into a lasting condition similar to ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Factors associated with having previously received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome: A cross sectional DanFunD study.

Tattan, Mais, Ørnbøl, Eva, Wellnitz, Kaare Bro et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2024

This study looked at 1,704 people with symptoms of functional somatic disorders (including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome) to understand who had received a diagnosis from a doctor. The researchers found that people—especially women—who had poor quality of life and negative beliefs about their illness were more likely to have received an official diagnosis. The study suggests that factors beyond just having symptoms affect whether people get diagnosed with these conditions.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

The economic burden of long COVID in Australia: more noise than signal?

Angeles, Mary Rose, Dinh, Thi Thu Ngan, Zhao, Ting et al.·The Medical journal of Australia·2024

This Australian study looked at how many people have long COVID and how much it costs the economy. Researchers estimated that between 40,000 and 145,000 Australians were severely affected by long COVID in late 2022, costing the economy between $1.7 and $6.3 billion. The study found that tens of thousands of working-age Australians reported being unable to work due to long-term sickness, though Australia doesn't yet have good tracking systems to measure long COVID's true impact.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Psychological flexibility in somatic symptom and related disorders: A case control study.

Selker, René J D M, Koppert, Tim Y, Houtveen, Jan H et al.·Journal of psychiatric research·2024

This study looked at how well people can handle difficult thoughts and feelings without being overwhelmed by them—a skill called psychological flexibility. Researchers compared 154 people with somatic symptom disorder (SSD, where people are very distressed by physical symptoms) to nearly 2,000 people with other conditions like ME/CFS or no illness. People with SSD had much lower psychological flexibility than both other groups, and this lower flexibility was linked to worse mental health.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Longitudinal Course of Physical and Psychosocial Impairment in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: Description and Prediction.

Glass, Isabel V, Frankenburg, Frances R, Fitzmaurice, Garrett M et al.·Journal of personality disorders·2024

This study followed 282 people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other personality disorders for 8 years to see how their physical and mental health changed over time. People with BPD reported significantly more physical and emotional difficulties than the comparison group, and those who didn't recover had worse outcomes. The study found that certain conditions—like chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis, obesity, depression, and PTSD—were strongly linked to physical health problems in BPD patients.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

A pilot cross-sectional investigation of symptom clusters and associations with patient-reported outcomes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Post COVID-19 Condition.

Weigel, Breanna, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie, Thapaliya, Kiran et al.·Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2024

This study compared people with ME/CFS and people with Long COVID to understand how their symptoms affect quality of life and daily functioning. Researchers found that both groups experience similar symptom patterns, particularly autonomic symptoms like breathing problems, which have the biggest impact on wellbeing. The findings suggest that Long COVID and ME/CFS may be closely related conditions, and that some people recovering from COVID-19 may develop ME/CFS-like illness over time.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Cluster analysis of long COVID symptoms for deciphering a syndrome and its long-term consequence.

Niewolik, J, Mikuteit, M, Klawitter, S et al.·Immunologic research·2024

Researchers studied 2,371 people with long COVID to understand how their symptoms tend to occur together in groups. They found that long COVID symptoms cluster into three main patterns: one involving joint and nerve problems, another involving mood and heart/breathing issues, and a third involving general infection-like symptoms and skin problems. Importantly, most participants experienced symptoms from all three groups, suggesting long COVID affects multiple body systems at once.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Heterogeneity in Measures of Illness among Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Not Explained by Clinical Practice: A Study in Seven U.S. Specialty Clinics.

Unger, Elizabeth R, Lin, Jin-Mann S, Chen, Yang et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

Researchers studied 465 ME/CFS patients across seven specialized clinics in the United States to see if doctors diagnosed and recognized the same disease. They found that while the clinics had similar patients, there was tremendous variation in how sick individual patients were—some had mild symptoms while others were severely affected. This suggests that ME/CFS may naturally come in many different forms, and understanding these differences could help improve research and treatment.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Metabolomic and immune alterations in long COVID patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Saito, Suguru, Shahbaz, Shima, Luo, Xian et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2024

This study looked at blood samples from people with long COVID who have ME/CFS-like symptoms and compared them to people who recovered from COVID, people with acute COVID, and people who never had COVID. Researchers found that long COVID patients had unusual chemical patterns in their blood, higher levels of inflammation-promoting substances, and lower energy molecules (ATP). They also discovered that two specific chemicals (sarcosine and serine) were reduced in long COVID patients and connected to depression, anxiety, and brain fog.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Comorbidity and sex differences in functional disorders and internalizing disorders.

Thomas, Nathaniel S, Gillespie, Nathan A, Kendler, Kenneth S et al.·General hospital psychiatry·2024

This study looked at how often ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome occur together with depression and anxiety in over 107,000 people. The researchers found that people with one of these conditions are much more likely to also have depression or anxiety than would be expected by chance. Interestingly, these connections were even stronger in men than in women.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome.

Güttes, Moritz, Lucio, Marianna, Skornia, Adam et al.·Scientific reports·2024

Researchers tested whether people with Post-COVID syndrome have slower reaction times when responding to visual stimuli shown in virtual reality glasses. They found that Post-COVID patients were indeed slower and less accurate at this task compared to healthy controls, suggesting this test might be a useful tool for identifying Post-COVID cognitive problems in the future.

Cognitive Impairment

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The German Multicenter Registry for ME/CFS (MECFS-R).

Phase-dependent trends in the prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) related to long COVID: A criteria-based retrospective study in Japan.

Impact of COVID-19 on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness prevalence: A cross-sectional survey.

Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID.

The presence of attentional and interpretation biases in patients with severe MS-related fatigue.

Low-dose Naltrexone Improves post-COVID-19 condition Symptoms.

Association of physical symptoms with accelerometer-measured movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID.

Connecting the dots: Network structures of internalizing and functional symptoms in a population-based cohort.

Discriminating Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and comorbid conditions using metabolomics in UK Biobank.

How Long Is Long COVID? Evaluation of Long-Term Health Status in Individuals Discharged from a Specialist Community Long COVID Service.

Factors associated with having previously received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome: A cross sectional DanFunD study.

The economic burden of long COVID in Australia: more noise than signal?

Psychological flexibility in somatic symptom and related disorders: A case control study.

Longitudinal Course of Physical and Psychosocial Impairment in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: Description and Prediction.

A pilot cross-sectional investigation of symptom clusters and associations with patient-reported outcomes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Post COVID-19 Condition.

Cluster analysis of long COVID symptoms for deciphering a syndrome and its long-term consequence.

Heterogeneity in Measures of Illness among Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Not Explained by Clinical Practice: A Study in Seven U.S. Specialty Clinics.

Metabolomic and immune alterations in long COVID patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Comorbidity and sex differences in functional disorders and internalizing disorders.

A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

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