ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2808 studies

2721–2740 of 2,808 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

A controlled study of brain magnetic resonance imaging in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Natelson, B H, Cohen, J M, Brassloff, I et al.·Journal of the neurological sciences·1993

Researchers compared brain scans (MRIs) of 52 people with ME/CFS to 52 similar healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients were much more likely to have abnormal brain scans—27% compared to only 2% in the control group. The abnormalities included areas of white matter changes and some brain tissue enlargement, though the researchers noted that some of these findings might actually indicate other medical conditions rather than ME/CFS itself.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue in primary care attenders.

McDonald, E, David, A S, Pelosi, A J et al.·Psychological medicine·1993

Researchers studied 77 primary care patients with chronic fatigue and found that 26% met criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Most patients received other diagnoses, including depression and a condition called neurasthenia. Interestingly, patients seen in general practice were more likely to recognize that stress and emotional factors played a role in their fatigue, unlike hospital patients who often blamed purely physical causes like viruses.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prevalence of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in a primary care practice.

Bates, D W, Schmitt, W, Buchwald, D et al.·Archives of internal medicine·1993

This study looked at how common severe, long-lasting fatigue is in a primary care doctor's office and how often it is ME/CFS. Researchers found that while about 27% of patients had long-term fatigue affecting their daily life, most could be explained by other medical or mental health conditions. Only about 0.3% to 1% of patients actually had ME/CFS, depending on which diagnostic criteria were used.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Inability of retroviral tests to identify persons with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1992.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)·MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report·1993

In the early 1990s, some laboratories were offering blood tests to check if people with ME/CFS had been infected with certain viruses called retroviruses. This CDC study tested whether three of these commercial tests could actually tell the difference between people with ME/CFS and healthy people. The researchers found that these tests could not reliably distinguish between the two groups, meaning the tests were not accurate for identifying ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep disturbance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Krupp, L B, Jandorf, L, Coyle, P K et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1993

This study looked at sleep problems in 72 people with ME/CFS, comparing them to people with multiple sclerosis and healthy volunteers. People with ME/CFS reported much worse sleep and fatigue than the other groups. When researchers used sleep monitoring equipment on some ME/CFS patients, they found that over half had treatable sleep disorders like sleep apnea or periodic leg movements during sleep.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Epidemiology of chronic fatigue syndrome: the Centers for Disease Control Study.

Gunn, W J, Connell, D B, Randall, B·Ciba Foundation symposium·1993

Between 1989 and 1991, the CDC tracked patients with chronic fatigue syndrome across four U.S. cities to understand how common the illness is and who gets it. Researchers found that only about 1 in 4 patients referred to them actually met the strict diagnostic criteria for CFS, while others had different medical conditions or psychiatric histories that might explain their fatigue. The study estimated that CFS affects roughly 2–11 people per 100,000 in the general population, and it most commonly affected women in their 30s.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are negative for known retrovirus infections.

Honda, M, Kitamura, K, Nakasone, T et al.·Microbiology and immunology·1993

This study tested 30 Japanese patients with ME/CFS to see if they had been infected with certain viruses called retroviruses, which some researchers thought might cause the illness. Using multiple testing methods, the researchers found that none of the patients had these viral infections. This suggests that these particular known viruses are not responsible for causing ME/CFS in this Japanese patient population.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Abnormalities of sleep in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Morriss, R, Sharpe, M, Sharpley, A L et al.·BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·1993

This study compared sleep patterns between 12 people with ME/CFS and 12 healthy volunteers using both sleep diaries and objective monitoring devices. People with ME/CFS spent more time in bed but slept less efficiently, woke up more after falling asleep, and were more likely to have sleep disorders. The researchers concluded that sleep problems are common in ME/CFS and may contribute to daytime fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue, depression, and social adjustment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Walford, G A, Nelson, W M, McCluskey, D R·Archives of disease in childhood·1993

This study looked at 12 children with ME/CFS and compared them to children with cystic fibrosis and healthy children. Children with ME/CFS reported much higher levels of tiredness affecting both body and mind, and many showed signs of depression. Their schooling and social lives were seriously disrupted by the illness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A brief mental fatigue questionnaire.

Bentall, R P, Wood, G C, Marrinan, T et al.·The British journal of clinical psychology·1993

Researchers created a short questionnaire to measure mental tiredness and tested it in people with ME/CFS, depression, recovered ME/CFS, muscle disease, and healthy people. The questionnaire worked well at identifying mental fatigue, but it could not tell the difference between people with ME/CFS and people with depression—both groups reported similar types and amounts of mental tiredness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Repetitively negative changing T waves at 24-h electrocardiographic monitors in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome. Left ventricular dysfunction in a cohort.

Lerner, A M, Lawrie, C, Dworkin, H S·Chest·1993

This study looked at heart activity recorded over 24 hours in ME/CFS patients compared to others. All 24 ME/CFS patients showed unusual patterns on their heart monitors (abnormal T waves), compared to only 22% of people without ME/CFS. Further testing found that 8 out of 60 ME/CFS patients had mild heart pumping problems that only showed up during exercise, even though their resting heart function appeared normal. The researchers suggest ME/CFS fatigue might be related to the heart not working well during normal daily activities.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The overdiagnosis of Lyme disease.

Steere, A C, Taylor, E, McHugh, G L et al.·JAMA·1993

This study looked at 788 people referred to a Lyme disease clinic who were thought to have Lyme disease. Researchers found that only 23% actually had active Lyme disease, while 57% did not have Lyme disease at all—many of these patients had chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia instead. The main problem was that patients were being incorrectly diagnosed with Lyme disease and given antibiotics that didn't help because they didn't actually have the infection.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Serum folate and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jacobson, W, Saich, T, Borysiewicz, L K et al.·Neurology·1993

Researchers measured folic acid levels in the blood of 60 ME/CFS patients and found that about half had lower-than-normal amounts. This suggests that some people with ME/CFS may not have enough folic acid in their body, which is a B vitamin important for many body functions.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Assessment of a retrovirus sequence and other possible risk factors for the chronic fatigue syndrome in adults.

Khan, A S, Heneine, W M, Chapman, L E et al.·Annals of internal medicine·1993

Researchers tested whether a virus called HTLV-II might be a cause of ME/CFS by comparing blood samples from 21 people with CFS to 21 healthy controls. They found no trace of the HTLV-II virus in any of the participants, and found no differences between the two groups in exposure to activities that spread viruses. This study argues against the idea that HTLV-II is linked to ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Positive and negative social support in a chronic illness.

Ray, C·Psychological reports·1992

This study looked at how social support affects the emotional well-being of people with ME/CFS. Researchers surveyed 207 patients and found that positive support from others (like encouragement and practical help) was connected to lower anxiety, while negative support (like criticism or dismissal) was linked to both increased anxiety and depression. This suggests that the quality of relationships and social interactions may play a role in how ME/CFS patients experience mental health symptoms.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

[Chronic fatigue syndrome--study of 51 cases treated at the Second Tokyo National Hospital].

Nishikai, M·Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine·1992

This study examined 51 patients with ME/CFS to look for physical and immune system clues about the illness. Researchers found that most patients had tender points similar to those seen in fibromyalgia, elevated antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (a common virus), and lower numbers of certain immune cells called NK cells. These findings suggest that viral infections and immune system problems may play a role in ME/CFS.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Assessment of regional cerebral perfusion by 99Tcm-HMPAO SPECT in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ichise, M, Salit, I E, Abbey, S E et al.·Nuclear medicine communications·1992

This study used a special brain imaging technique called SPECT to measure blood flow in different regions of the brain in ME/CFS patients and healthy controls. Researchers found that most ME/CFS patients (80%) had reduced blood flow in several brain areas compared to healthy people, particularly in the front, side, and back regions of the brain. This provides the first objective evidence that ME/CFS may involve changes in how blood flows to the brain.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The economic impact of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lloyd, A R, Pender, H·The Medical journal of Australia·1992

This study looked at how much money ME/CFS costs—not just for patients themselves, but for the healthcare system and society overall. Researchers surveyed 42 patients in one Australian region about their medical expenses and lost income, then used those numbers to estimate what ME/CFS might cost across all of Australia. They found the disease creates a huge financial burden that had been largely overlooked by policymakers.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

[Overview of our patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) from the pathoetiological aspects].

Matsuda, J, Gohchi, K·Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine·1992

Researchers studied 285 people who reported severe fatigue, and confirmed that 55 of them actually had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using official diagnostic criteria. They tested patients' blood for signs of viral infections and measured certain immune cell markers to understand what might be causing CFS. This study looked at various biological factors that could explain why people develop this condition.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Clinical, epidemiologic, and virologic studies in four clusters of the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Levine, P H, Jacobson, S, Pocinki, A G et al.·Archives of internal medicine·1992

Researchers studied four different outbreaks of ME/CFS in the Nevada-California region over 3 years, following patients through interviews and blood tests to look for viral causes. They found that almost all patients recovered and returned to their normal activities within the 3-year period. The viruses they tested for—including Epstein-Barr virus and others—were not responsible for the illness, though one outbreak may have been triggered by a parasite called giardia.

Diagnostics

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A controlled study of brain magnetic resonance imaging in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue in primary care attenders.

Prevalence of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in a primary care practice.

Inability of retroviral tests to identify persons with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1992.

Sleep disturbance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Epidemiology of chronic fatigue syndrome: the Centers for Disease Control Study.

Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are negative for known retrovirus infections.

Abnormalities of sleep in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fatigue, depression, and social adjustment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

A brief mental fatigue questionnaire.

Repetitively negative changing T waves at 24-h electrocardiographic monitors in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome. Left ventricular dysfunction in a cohort.

The overdiagnosis of Lyme disease.

Serum folate and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Assessment of a retrovirus sequence and other possible risk factors for the chronic fatigue syndrome in adults.

Positive and negative social support in a chronic illness.

[Chronic fatigue syndrome--study of 51 cases treated at the Second Tokyo National Hospital].

Assessment of regional cerebral perfusion by 99Tcm-HMPAO SPECT in chronic fatigue syndrome.

The economic impact of chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Overview of our patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) from the pathoetiological aspects].

Clinical, epidemiologic, and virologic studies in four clusters of the chronic fatigue syndrome.

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