A comparative review of systemic and neurological symptomatology in 12 outbreaks collectively described as chronic fatigue syndrome, epidemic neuromyasthenia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Briggs, N C, Levine, P H·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1994
This study reviewed 12 documented outbreaks of ME/CFS-like illness from 1934 to the 1980s to understand how symptoms varied between them. While all outbreaks shared common features like extreme fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches, the neurological symptoms (affecting the nervous system) differed significantly. The researchers found that older outbreaks (1930s-1950s) showed more severe objective nerve damage, while later outbreaks (1960s-1980s) had milder neurological findings, possibly because doctors weren't looking for these symptoms as carefully.