ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2768 studies

721–740 of 2,768 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human herpesvirus-6 infections in patients with myalgic еncephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Shikova, Evelina, Reshkova, Valentina, Kumanova, Аntoniya et al.·Journal of medical virology·2020

Researchers tested 58 ME/CFS patients and 50 healthy people for three common viruses (EBV, CMV, and HHV-6) that have been suspected of triggering ME/CFS. They found that ME/CFS patients had significantly higher rates of active EBV infection in their bloodstream compared to healthy people, though most people in both groups carried these viruses in a dormant state. This suggests that for some patients, active EBV infection may play a role in ME/CFS development.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Properties of measurements obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing in individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Davenport, Todd E, Stevens, Staci R, Stevens, Jared et al.·Work (Reading, Mass.)·2020

Researchers tested whether a standard exercise test (cardiopulmonary exercise test, or CPET) could reliably measure how ME/CFS affects the body's ability to exercise. They had 51 women with ME/CFS and 10 healthy women do the same exercise test twice, 24 hours apart. The results showed that the measurements were consistent and clearly different between the two groups, suggesting that CPET could be a useful tool for assessing ME/CFS.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Changes in DNA methylation profiles of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome patients reflect systemic dysfunctions.

Helliwell, A M, Sweetman, E C, Stockwell, P A et al.·Clinical epigenetics·2020

This study looked at chemical tags on DNA called methylation patterns in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. These tags can turn genes on or off without changing the DNA itself. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS have different methylation patterns, particularly in genes related to energy production, immune function, and brain chemistry, which may help explain why they experience the symptoms they do.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Two-Day Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Females with a Severe Grade of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Comparison with Patients with Mild and Moderate Disease.

van Campen, C Linda Mc, Rowe, Peter C, Visser, Frans C·Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2020

This study tested how exercise affects female ME/CFS patients with different disease severity levels. Researchers had 82 women complete exercise tests on two consecutive days and measured how much oxygen their bodies could use and how much work they could do. Patients with severe ME/CFS showed the biggest drop in exercise capacity between day one and day two, suggesting their bodies recover more poorly from physical activity.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A Cross-National Comparison of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at Tertiary Care Settings from the US and Spain.

Bhatia, Shaun, Olczyk, Nicole, Jason, Leonard A et al.·American journal of social sciences and humanities·2020

This study compared ME/CFS patients in the United States and Spain to see if the disease affects people differently depending on where they live. Researchers found that Spanish patients reported worse overall health and more severe symptoms, particularly pain and hormone-related problems, compared to American patients. The differences may be due to how each country handles disability benefits, how doctors view ME/CFS, and how easily patients can see specialists.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

A hierarchical logistic regression predicting rapid respiratory rates from post-exertional malaise.

Cotler, Joseph, Katz, Ben Z, Reurts-Post, Corine et al.·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2020

This study looked at whether faster breathing rates could be a sign of post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the worsening of symptoms that many ME/CFS patients experience after activity. Researchers measured breathing rates in 216 ME/CFS patients over two days and compared them to information about PEM and other symptoms. They found that patients with more severe PEM tended to have faster resting breathing rates, while depression, anxiety, and activity level did not explain the faster breathing.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Hospital Records of Pain, Fatigue, or Circulatory Symptoms in Girls Exposed to Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Cohort, Self-Controlled Case Series, and Population Time Trend Studies.

Thomsen, Reimar Wernich, Öztürk, Buket, Pedersen, Lars et al.·American journal of epidemiology·2020

This large Danish study looked at whether the HPV vaccine (which prevents cervical cancer) was linked to symptoms like pain, fatigue, or heart problems in girls. Researchers compared vaccinated and unvaccinated girls over 14 years and found no increase in hospital visits for these symptoms in vaccinated girls. The symptoms they tracked increased over time in both vaccinated and unvaccinated children, suggesting other factors were responsible.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Prevalence and treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and co-morbid severe health anxiety.

Daniels, Jo, Parker, Hannah, Salkovskis, Paul Martin·International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP·2020

This study found that about 42% of people with ME/CFS also experience significant health anxiety—excessive worry about their health and symptoms. When people have both ME/CFS and health anxiety together, they tend to report worse fatigue and more difficulty with physical activities. The researchers tested whether cognitive behavioral therapy (a type of talking therapy) could help reduce health anxiety in ME/CFS patients, and found it produced meaningful improvements.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Plasma proteomic profiling suggests an association between antigen driven clonal B cell expansion and ME/CFS.

Milivojevic, Milica, Che, Xiaoyu, Bateman, Lucinda et al.·PloS one·2020

Researchers studied blood proteins in ME/CFS patients and healthy controls to look for disease markers. They found that certain immune-related proteins, particularly immunoglobulin proteins (which are part of the immune system), were abnormal in ME/CFS patients and could help identify who has the disease. The results suggest ME/CFS involves an overactive or dysregulated immune response.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Resting-state functional connectivity, cognition, and fatigue in response to cognitive exertion: a novel study in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Josev, Elisha K, Malpas, Charles B, Seal, Marc L et al.·Brain imaging and behavior·2020

Researchers compared how the brains of teenagers with ME/CFS and healthy teenagers responded to a mentally demanding task using brain imaging. Both groups showed similar changes in brain activity and felt more tired after the mental effort. However, teenagers with ME/CFS started out more fatigued, performed worse on thinking tasks overall, and may have less energy available to draw from when their brain works hard.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Using Plasma Autoantibodies of Central Nervous System Proteins to Distinguish Veterans with Gulf War Illness from Healthy and Symptomatic Controls.

Abou-Donia, Mohamed B, Lapadula, Elizabeth S, Krengel, Maxine H et al.·Brain sciences·2020

Researchers tested blood samples from Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) and compared them to healthy veterans and people with ME/CFS or irritable bowel syndrome. They found that GWI veterans had higher levels of autoantibodies—proteins the immune system makes that mistakenly attack the brain and nervous system—compared to all three control groups. This suggests that a blood test measuring these autoantibodies could potentially help doctors diagnose Gulf War Illness objectively.

NeuroinflammationBiomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Intravenous Cyclophosphamide in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study.

Rekeland, Ingrid G, Fosså, Alexander, Lande, Asgeir et al.·Frontiers in medicine·2020

Researchers tested whether cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug, could help people with ME/CFS based on observations that some patients improved after cancer treatment. Forty patients received six infusions of this drug over six months, with check-ins lasting up to four years. More than half the patients reported meaningful improvements in fatigue and physical activity, with many staying better even years later.

Interventions

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredObservational

Epidemiological and clinical factors associated with post-exertional malaise severity in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ghali, Alaa, Richa, Paul, Lacout, Carole et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2020

This study looked at 197 ME/CFS patients to understand which people are more likely to experience severe post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the symptom crash that happens after physical or mental activity. Researchers found that patients who developed ME/CFS after age 32, those who had recurring infections during their illness, and those whose ME/CFS started after a stomach infection were more likely to have severe PEM. Understanding these risk factors could help doctors better predict and manage PEM in individual patients.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Do adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and co-morbid anxiety and/or depressive symptoms think differently to those who do not have co-morbid psychopathology?

Loades, Maria E, Stallard, Paul, Morris, Richard et al.·Journal of affective disorders·2020

This study looked at how adolescents with ME/CFS think about their symptoms, comparing those who also have anxiety or depression with those who don't. Teenagers with both ME/CFS and anxiety/depression were more likely to have negative thoughts in general and worry more about their fatigue causing damage or embarrassment. The thinking patterns of both groups together explained about 43% of why some teens developed anxiety or depression alongside their ME/CFS.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Cerebral blood flow is reduced in ME/CFS during head-up tilt testing even in the absence of hypotension or tachycardia: A quantitative, controlled study using Doppler echography.

van Campen, C Linda M C, Verheugt, Freek W A, Rowe, Peter C et al.·Clinical neurophysiology practice·2020

This study measured blood flow to the brain in ME/CFS patients while they were tilted upright for 30 minutes. Researchers found that blood flow to the brain dropped significantly more in ME/CFS patients (24-29%) compared to healthy people (7%), even in patients whose heart rate and blood pressure stayed normal. The more symptoms patients experienced from standing, the greater their blood flow reduction.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Unravelling myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): Gender-specific changes in the microRNA expression profiling in ME/CFS.

Cheema, Amanpreet K, Sarria, Leonor, Bekheit, Mina et al.·Journal of cellular and molecular medicine·2020

This study looked at tiny molecules called microRNAs in the blood of people with ME/CFS to understand how their immune system responds to exercise. The researchers discovered that men and women with ME/CFS show different patterns in these molecules, and they also found that nutritional status affects these patterns. These findings could help explain why some people experience worsening symptoms after exercise (post-exertional malaise) and suggest that treatment approaches may need to differ between men and women.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Assessing diagnostic value of microRNAs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and extracellular vesicles in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Almenar-Pérez, Eloy, Sarría, Leonor, Nathanson, Lubov et al.·Scientific reports·2020

This study looked for biological markers (tiny genetic molecules called microRNAs) in blood samples from severely ill ME/CFS patients that could help doctors diagnose the disease. Researchers found that certain microRNAs and physical characteristics of particles in the blood appeared different in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls. If validated in larger studies, these findings could eventually lead to a simple blood test for diagnosis.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Validation of the Severity of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Other Measures than History: Activity Bracelet, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and a Validated Activity Questionnaire: SF-36.

van Campen, C Linda M C, Rowe, Peter C, Visser, Frans C·Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2020

This study tested whether doctors can accurately grade how severe a patient's ME/CFS is based on what patients tell them. Researchers compared clinical severity grades (mild, moderate, or severe) with three objective measures: a questionnaire about physical function, a wristband that counts daily steps, and a heart/lung exercise test. The results confirmed that the clinical grades matched up well with these objective measurements, suggesting that doctors' assessments based on patient reports are reasonably accurate.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Prediction of Discontinuation of Structured Exercise Programme in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.

Kujawski, Sławomir, Cossington, Jo, Słomko, Joanna et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2020

This study looked at why some people with ME/CFS could complete a gradual exercise programme while others had to stop. Researchers measured several body functions—like nervous system activity, reaction time, and heart rate—before the programme started. They found that people whose bodies showed higher stress responses and slower reaction times were more likely to drop out of the exercise programme.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Signs of Intracranial Hypertension, Hypermobility, and Craniocervical Obstructions in Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Bragée, Björn, Michos, Anastasios, Drum, Brandon et al.·Frontiers in neurology·2020

Researchers studied 229 people with severe ME/CFS to see if three physical conditions—unusual flexibility in joints, increased pressure around the brain, and blockages in the neck—might be connected to ME/CFS symptoms. They found these conditions were much more common in ME/CFS patients than in the general population. The study suggests these physical changes could help explain why people with ME/CFS experience their symptoms, though more research is needed to confirm this connection.

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Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human herpesvirus-6 infections in patients with myalgic еncephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Properties of measurements obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing in individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Changes in DNA methylation profiles of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome patients reflect systemic dysfunctions.

Two-Day Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Females with a Severe Grade of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Comparison with Patients with Mild and Moderate Disease.

A Cross-National Comparison of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at Tertiary Care Settings from the US and Spain.

A hierarchical logistic regression predicting rapid respiratory rates from post-exertional malaise.

Hospital Records of Pain, Fatigue, or Circulatory Symptoms in Girls Exposed to Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Cohort, Self-Controlled Case Series, and Population Time Trend Studies.

Prevalence and treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and co-morbid severe health anxiety.

Plasma proteomic profiling suggests an association between antigen driven clonal B cell expansion and ME/CFS.

Resting-state functional connectivity, cognition, and fatigue in response to cognitive exertion: a novel study in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Using Plasma Autoantibodies of Central Nervous System Proteins to Distinguish Veterans with Gulf War Illness from Healthy and Symptomatic Controls.

Intravenous Cyclophosphamide in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study.

Epidemiological and clinical factors associated with post-exertional malaise severity in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Do adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and co-morbid anxiety and/or depressive symptoms think differently to those who do not have co-morbid psychopathology?

Cerebral blood flow is reduced in ME/CFS during head-up tilt testing even in the absence of hypotension or tachycardia: A quantitative, controlled study using Doppler echography.

Unravelling myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): Gender-specific changes in the microRNA expression profiling in ME/CFS.

Assessing diagnostic value of microRNAs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and extracellular vesicles in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Validation of the Severity of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Other Measures than History: Activity Bracelet, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and a Validated Activity Questionnaire: SF-36.

Prediction of Discontinuation of Structured Exercise Programme in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.

Signs of Intracranial Hypertension, Hypermobility, and Craniocervical Obstructions in Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

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Neuroinflammation Evidence

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Biomarkers

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