ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2807 studies

2481–2500 of 2,807 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Muscle fibre characteristics and lactate responses to exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lane, R J, Barrett, M C, Woodrow, D et al.·Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·1998

Researchers examined muscle samples from 105 ME/CFS patients to understand why they have abnormal responses to exercise, particularly high lactate levels. They found that patients with high lactate responses had fewer type 1 muscle fibres (which are energy-efficient), but this wasn't because they were inactive—it appeared to be a specific muscle problem related to ME/CFS itself.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Diurnal variation of adrenocortical activity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

MacHale, S M, Cavanagh, J T, Bennie, J et al.·Neuropsychobiology·1998

This study measured stress hormone (cortisol) levels in 30 ME/CFS patients and 15 healthy controls at different times of day. The researchers found that while individual cortisol measurements were similar between groups, ME/CFS patients showed a flattened pattern—their cortisol levels didn't drop as much in the evening as they should. Higher evening cortisol levels were connected to worse overall health and physical functioning in ME/CFS patients.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Adaptive tasks, coping and quality of life of chronically ill patients: the cases of Parkinson's disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

De Ridder, D T, Schreurs, K M, Bensing, J M·Journal of health psychology·1998

This study compared how people with Parkinson's disease and ME/CFS cope with the challenges their illnesses create and how this affects their quality of life. Researchers found that while both groups face similar types of challenges (like managing symptoms and adjusting daily life), the way these challenges affect quality of life differs between the two diseases. For people with ME/CFS, how patients think about and evaluate their illness challenges was more important in predicting their quality of life than the actual severity of their symptoms.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

The effects of nutritional supplements on the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Dykman, K D, Tone, C, Ford, C et al.·Integrative physiological and behavioral science : the official journal of the Pavlovian Society·1998

This study looked at whether nutritional supplements might help reduce symptoms in 50 people with fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. Researchers asked people about their symptoms when they started taking supplements and again nine months later. The people taking supplements reported significant improvement in their symptoms, with continued progress over the nine-month period.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Low levels of serum acylcarnitine in chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic hepatitis type C, but not seen in other diseases.

Kuratsune, H, Yamaguti, K, Lindh, G et al.·International journal of molecular medicine·1998

Researchers measured a substance called acylcarnitine in the blood of people with ME/CFS and compared it to healthy people and those with other diseases. They found that people with ME/CFS had significantly lower levels of this substance, and this same pattern appeared in both Japanese and Swedish patients. Importantly, this low level was only seen in ME/CFS and one other condition (chronic hepatitis C), not in other common diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.

BiomarkersEnergy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Phosphate diabetes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

De Lorenzo, F, Hargreaves, J, Kakkar, V V·Postgraduate medical journal·1998

This study explored whether some ME/CFS patients might actually have a rare kidney condition called phosphate diabetes, which prevents the kidneys from properly reabsorbing phosphate. Phosphate is important for muscle and nerve function, and low levels can cause fatigue, muscle pain, and depression—symptoms that overlap with ME/CFS. The researchers tested 87 ME/CFS patients and found that 9 of them also had phosphate diabetes.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Secretion of growth hormone in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Berwaerts, J, Moorkens, G, Abs, R·Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society·1998

This study looked at growth hormone levels in people with ME/CFS, because low growth hormone has been seen in related conditions like fibromyalgia. Researchers tested 20 ME/CFS patients and compared them to healthy controls, measuring growth hormone in different ways. They found that ME/CFS patients had lower levels of a growth hormone marker (IGF-I) and tended to produce less growth hormone at night, though other growth hormone tests were similar between groups.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Autonomic testing in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

De Becker, P, Dendale, P, De Meirleir, K et al.·The American journal of medicine·1998

This study tested how the nervous system that controls heart rate and blood pressure works in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had higher heart rates and stronger stress responses when standing up, suggesting their bodies may be overactive in certain stress situations. However, these findings did not fully explain why ME/CFS patients experience fatigue and problems with exercise.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Predictors of a medical-offset effect among patients receiving antidepressant therapy.

Thompson, D, Hylan, T R, McMullen, W et al.·The American journal of psychiatry·1998

This study looked at insurance records from nearly 1,700 people who started taking antidepressants for depression in the early 1990s. The researchers wanted to understand whether treating depression could also reduce overall healthcare costs. They found that patients with certain conditions—including chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety, heart disease, and cancer—who stayed on antidepressants for at least 6 months tended to have lower medical bills overall.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Longitudinal changes associated with improvement in chronic fatigue patients.

Russo, J, Katon, W, Clark, M et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1998

Researchers followed people with chronic fatigue for 2.5 years to see what changes were linked to getting better. They found that improvements in mood, reduction in psychiatric symptoms, and disappearance of physical examination findings were connected to people feeling less fatigued, functioning better, and returning to work. People who either never had chronic fatigue syndrome or only had it at the start of the study showed the most improvement.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Chronic fatigue syndrome: identification of distinct subgroups on the basis of allergy and psychologic variables.

Borish, L, Schmaling, K, DiClementi, J D et al.·The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology·1998

This study looked at whether allergies and psychological factors play a role in ME/CFS. Researchers compared 18 people with ME/CFS to healthy controls, people with allergies, and people with depression. They found that people with ME/CFS had different immune molecules (called cytokines) in their blood compared to healthy people, similar to those with allergies. Interestingly, people with ME/CFS who also had certain psychological profiles showed different immune patterns, suggesting that both allergies and how the mind responds to them may contribute to ME/CFS in some patients.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The low dose ACTH test in chronic fatigue syndrome and in health.

Scott, L V, Medbak, S, Dinan, T G·Clinical endocrinology·1998

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have a subtle problem with their stress hormone system, specifically the pituitary gland's ability to signal the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Using a sensitive test with a very small dose of ACTH (a hormone that triggers cortisol release), researchers found that people with ME/CFS showed a weaker cortisol response than healthy people, suggesting their adrenal system may not be functioning optimally.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Relation between neuropsychological impairment and functional disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Christodoulou, C, DeLuca, J, Lange, G et al.·Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·1998

This study looked at whether memory and attention problems in ME/CFS patients are linked to how much their daily activities are limited. Researchers tested 53 ME/CFS patients and 32 healthy people on memory and concentration, and found that patients with more failing test scores reported spending significantly more days inactive. Importantly, this connection held true even when accounting for depression, suggesting the cognitive problems themselves—not just mood—contribute to disability.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Comparison of SPET brain perfusion and 18F-FDG brain metabolism in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Abu-Judeh, H H, Levine, S, Kumar, M et al.·Nuclear medicine communications·1998

Researchers used two different types of brain scans to look at blood flow and energy use in patients with ME/CFS. They found that these two scans gave different results: many patients had abnormal blood flow patterns, but most had normal energy metabolism. This suggests that ME/CFS may affect how blood moves through the brain differently than how the brain uses glucose for energy.

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 ModerateReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Relationship Between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Neurally Mediated Hypotension.

Calkins, H, Rowe, PC·Cardiology in review·1998

This study explored a possible connection between ME/CFS and a condition called neurally mediated hypotension, where blood pressure drops suddenly due to problems with nerve signals that control blood vessels. Researchers found that when they treated patients for this blood pressure problem, about two-thirds of ME/CFS patients felt better. While these early results were promising, the study notes that larger, more rigorous trials were needed to confirm whether this treatment truly helps.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Urinary free cortisol excretion in chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression and in healthy volunteers.

Scott, L V, Dinan, T G·Journal of affective disorders·1998

This study measured a stress hormone called cortisol in urine samples from people with ME/CFS, people with depression, and healthy individuals. The researchers found that people with ME/CFS had lower cortisol levels than healthy people, while people with depression had higher levels. This suggests that ME/CFS and depression affect the body's stress response system in opposite ways.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Multiplex PCR for the detection of Mycoplasma fermentans, M. hominis and M. penetrans in cell cultures and blood samples of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Choppa, P C, Vojdani, A, Tagle, C et al.·Molecular and cellular probes·1998

Researchers developed a test to detect three types of bacteria called mycoplasmas in blood samples from ME/CFS patients and healthy people. They found these bacteria were much more common in ME/CFS patients (52% had some mycoplasma species) compared to healthy controls (15%), suggesting a possible link between these infections and ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The persistence of fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis: development of a model.

Vercoulen, J H, Swanink, C M, Galama, J M et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1998

This study tested whether thoughts, behaviors, and emotions affect how severe fatigue becomes and stays in ME/CFS patients. Researchers found that when patients believe their symptoms are purely physical, they tend to be less active, which makes fatigue worse. They also found that how much control patients felt they had over symptoms and how much they focused on body sensations directly affected fatigue levels. Importantly, the patterns that explained fatigue in ME/CFS were different from those in MS patients.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The role of delayed orthostatic hypotension in the pathogenesis of chronic fatigue.

Streeten, D H, Anderson, G H·Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society·1998

This study looked at whether problems with blood pressure regulation—specifically a delayed drop in blood pressure when standing up—might explain why some people with chronic fatigue syndrome feel so exhausted. Researchers surveyed 431 patients with various neurological and hormonal disorders and found that fatigue was very common in people with delayed blood pressure drops and low cortisol levels (70-83%), but much less common in people with other conditions like multiple system atrophy (7-33%). This suggests a possible connection between blood pressure regulation problems and severe fatigue.

Autonomic Nervous System

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Muscle fibre characteristics and lactate responses to exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Diurnal variation of adrenocortical activity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Adaptive tasks, coping and quality of life of chronically ill patients: the cases of Parkinson's disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The effects of nutritional supplements on the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Low levels of serum acylcarnitine in chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic hepatitis type C, but not seen in other diseases.

Phosphate diabetes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Secretion of growth hormone in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Autonomic testing in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Predictors of a medical-offset effect among patients receiving antidepressant therapy.

Longitudinal changes associated with improvement in chronic fatigue patients.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: identification of distinct subgroups on the basis of allergy and psychologic variables.

The low dose ACTH test in chronic fatigue syndrome and in health.

Relation between neuropsychological impairment and functional disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Comparison of SPET brain perfusion and 18F-FDG brain metabolism in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Salivary cortisol profiles in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Relationship Between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Neurally Mediated Hypotension.

Urinary free cortisol excretion in chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression and in healthy volunteers.

Multiplex PCR for the detection of Mycoplasma fermentans, M. hominis and M. penetrans in cell cultures and blood samples of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

The persistence of fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis: development of a model.

The role of delayed orthostatic hypotension in the pathogenesis of chronic fatigue.

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