ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2807 studies

321–340 of 2,807 studies

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 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Mismatch between subjective and objective dysautonomia.

Novak, Peter, Systrom, David M, Marciano, Sadie P et al.·Scientific reports·2024

This study examined whether questionnaires that ask patients about autonomic symptoms (like dizziness, heart racing, or sweating problems) match what doctors find when they perform actual autonomic tests. Researchers studied over 2,600 patients and found a surprising disconnect: questionnaires and actual tests did not correlate with each other, meaning some patients reported severe symptoms but tested normally, while others had significant test abnormalities but reported few symptoms. This finding held true across many conditions, including ME/CFS, suggesting that questionnaires alone cannot reliably detect autonomic problems.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Management of severe ME/CFS in children and young people in the UK: a British Paediatric Surveillance Unit study.

Royston, Alexander Peter, Burge, Sarah, Idini, Ilaria et al.·BMJ paediatrics open·2024

This UK study looked at how children and young people with severe ME/CFS are diagnosed and treated. Researchers found that many young people with suspected severe ME/CFS were not getting complete medical investigations to rule out other conditions, and most were not being referred to specialist services. The care these young people received varied greatly, and some didn't receive any help at all.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Compelled loneliness and necessitated social isolation: "It's like being on the other side of a mirror, just looking in".

Wotherspoon, Natalie·Sociology of health & illness·2024

This study explored loneliness in people with ME/CFS by listening to 42 patients' experiences. The researchers found that loneliness in ME isn't just about being alone—it happens because ME symptoms keep people isolated AND because others often don't believe the illness is real, leading to rejection. As ME gets worse, people can get caught in a cycle where isolation and loneliness feed each other, making both worse over time.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Stroop task and practice effects demonstrate cognitive dysfunction in long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome.

Baraniuk, James N, Thapaliya, Kiran, Inderyas, Maira et al.·Scientific reports·2024

This study tested how quickly people with Long COVID and ME/CFS could complete a simple task involving reading color words displayed in different colored inks. Both patient groups were noticeably slower at this task than healthy people, and unlike healthy people, they didn't get faster with practice. This suggests that ME/CFS and Long COVID may involve a problem with how different parts of the brain communicate during problem-solving.

Cognitive Impairment

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 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The Head-Up Tilt Table Test as a Measure of Autonomic Functioning among Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Jason, Leonard A, McGarrigle, William J, Vermeulen, Ruud C W·Journal of personalized medicine·2024

This study tested 193 people with ME/CFS using a tilt table test to check if they had problems with their autonomic nervous system (the system that controls heart rate and blood pressure). About one in three participants showed signs of orthostatic intolerance—a condition where the body struggles to maintain proper blood pressure and heart rate when standing. People with these problems reported worse sleep, more severe post-exertional malaise (exhaustion after activity), and greater physical limitations.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredObservational

Fatigue and symptom-based clusters in post COVID-19 patients: a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study.

Cornelissen, Merel E B, Bloemsma, Lizan D, Vaes, Anouk W et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2024

This study followed 95 Dutch patients with long COVID for up to 18 months after their initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most patients experienced persistent fatigue, along with sleep problems, pain, and cognitive difficulties. Interestingly, over half of these patients met the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, and their symptom patterns resembled those seen in people with ME/CFS.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Do people with ME/CFS and joint hypermobility represent a disease subgroup? An analysis using registry data.

Mudie, Kathleen, Ramiller, Allison, Whittaker, Sadie et al.·Frontiers in neurology·2024

This study looked at whether ME/CFS patients with loose, flexible joints (joint hypermobility) form a distinct group with different symptoms and health impacts. Researchers surveyed 815 ME/CFS patients and found that about 16% had joint hypermobility. These patients reported worse quality of life, more pain, and more symptoms affecting their nervous system, thinking, digestion, and muscles compared to ME/CFS patients without joint hypermobility.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cognitive reserve as a protective factor against cognitive impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Surendran, Gopika, Jose, Tony P·Applied neuropsychology. Adult·2024

This study examined whether people's life experiences and education—called 'cognitive reserve'—help protect them from the thinking and memory problems common in ME/CFS. Researchers tested 91 people with ME/CFS and found that those with more cognitive reserve had fewer cognitive problems. The severity of someone's ME/CFS was the main factor affecting both cognitive reserve and cognitive problems, rather than age or gender.

Cognitive Impairment

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 ModerateGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

Practical Recommendations for Exercise Training in Patients with Long COVID with or without Post-exertional Malaise: A Best Practice Proposal.

Gloeckl, Rainer, Zwick, Ralf H, Fürlinger, Ulrich et al.·Sports medicine - open·2024

This study created practical guidelines for exercise training in people with long COVID, especially those who experience post-exertional malaise (PEM)—when symptoms get worse after physical activity. The researchers reviewed 46 previous studies and surveyed 14 international experts to develop three different exercise approaches depending on whether someone has no PEM, mild/moderate PEM, or severe PEM. These guidelines aim to help healthcare professionals safely design exercise programs tailored to each person's specific situation.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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 not requiredCase-Control

Increased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome following pneumonia: A population-based Cohort study.

Hsu, Han-Jen, Chang, Hsun, Lin, Cheng-Li et al.·Journal of infection and public health·2024

This study found that people who have pneumonia are about 1.4 times more likely to develop ME/CFS compared to people who don't have pneumonia. The risk was higher for certain types of bacterial and viral infections, including specific bacteria like Pseudomonas and Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as influenza virus. The researchers used health records from 2 million adults in Taiwan to track whether pneumonia patients developed ME/CFS over time.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Systemic antibody responses against gut microbiota flagellins implicate shared and divergent immune reactivity in Crohn's disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Bourgonje, Arno R, Hörstke, Nicolai V, Fehringer, Michaela et al.·Microbiome·2024

This study looked at immune responses in ME/CFS and Crohn's disease patients by measuring antibodies against proteins from gut bacteria called flagellins. Researchers found that both patient groups had elevated antibodies against these bacterial proteins, but the pattern of where these antibodies attached differed between the two diseases. These antibody patterns could potentially help doctors diagnose ME/CFS and understand how the immune system may be responding abnormally to gut bacteria.

Gut MicrobiomeImmune System

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 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The Cardiac Output-Cerebral Blood Flow Relationship Is Abnormal in Most Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients with a Normal Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Response During a Tilt Test.

van Campen, C Linda M C, Verheugt, Freek W A, Rowe, Peter C et al.·Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

This study looked at how blood flow to the brain changes when ME/CFS patients stand up or tilt on a table. Researchers found that in 91% of patients, the heart wasn't pumping enough blood and the brain wasn't getting enough blood flow—and these two problems were directly connected. This suggests that blood vessels in the brain may not be working properly to compensate when blood flow drops, which could explain why many ME/CFS patients feel dizzy or faint when standing.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain: A Potential Biomarker for Neurological Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Azcue, Naiara, Tijero-Merino, Beatriz, Acera, Marian et al.·Biomedicines·2024

Researchers measured a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood of ME/CFS patients and healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients had higher levels of this protein, which suggests nerve damage in the brain and nervous system. The patients with higher NfL levels also had more problems with memory, thinking clearly, and with their autonomic nervous system (the part that controls heart rate and other automatic body functions).

Autonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Optimizing Exclusion Criteria for Clinical Trials of Persistent Lyme Disease Using Real-World Data.

Johnson, Lorraine, Shapiro, Mira, Needell, Deanna et al.·Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

This study looked at the rules that researchers use to decide who can join clinical trials for persistent Lyme disease (PLD). The researchers found that current rules exclude about 90% of patients, making it very hard to find enough people for studies. By relaxing some of these rules—especially those that exclude people with coexisting conditions like fibromyalgia or fatigue—researchers could include many more patients (up to 64%) while still conducting valid research.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Service users' and parents/carers' experiences of a paediatric chronic fatigue service: A service evaluation.

Hartley, Gemma, Purrington, Jack·Chronic illness·2024

This study asked children with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and their parents about their experiences at a specialist clinic that treats young people with the condition. Most families felt the service helped them understand their illness better, learn useful strategies to manage their symptoms, and gradually increase their activity levels safely. However, some families had trouble accessing the service due to its location, appointment scheduling, and difficulty contacting staff.

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

Mismatch between subjective and objective dysautonomia.

Management of severe ME/CFS in children and young people in the UK: a British Paediatric Surveillance Unit study.

Compelled loneliness and necessitated social isolation: "It's like being on the other side of a mirror, just looking in".

Stroop task and practice effects demonstrate cognitive dysfunction in long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

The Head-Up Tilt Table Test as a Measure of Autonomic Functioning among Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Fatigue and symptom-based clusters in post COVID-19 patients: a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study.

Do people with ME/CFS and joint hypermobility represent a disease subgroup? An analysis using registry data.

Cognitive reserve as a protective factor against cognitive impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

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.

Practical Recommendations for Exercise Training in Patients with Long COVID with or without Post-exertional Malaise: A Best Practice Proposal.

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.

Increased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome following pneumonia: A population-based Cohort study.

Systemic antibody responses against gut microbiota flagellins implicate shared and divergent immune reactivity in Crohn's disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

The Cardiac Output-Cerebral Blood Flow Relationship Is Abnormal in Most Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients with a Normal Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Response During a Tilt Test.

Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain: A Potential Biomarker for Neurological Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Optimizing Exclusion Criteria for Clinical Trials of Persistent Lyme Disease Using Real-World Data.

Service users' and parents/carers' experiences of a paediatric chronic fatigue service: A service evaluation.

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