ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2420 studies

1981–2000 of 2,420 studies

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection: a treatable cause of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chia, J K, Chia, L Y·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1999

This study examined whether a common bacterial infection called Chlamydia pneumoniae might be a treatable cause of ME/CFS. Researchers looked at patients with ME/CFS and tested whether treating this infection with antibiotics could improve their symptoms. The authors suggest that some cases of ME/CFS might be linked to this persistent bacterial infection.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The importance of orthostatic intolerance in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Schondorf, R, Freeman, R·The American journal of the medical sciences·1999

This review examines how problems with standing up (orthostatic intolerance) are connected to ME/CFS. Many people with ME/CFS experience symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, shaking, and nausea when standing or sitting upright. The authors review what we know about this connection, including how to diagnose it, what tests can help, what might cause it, and how it might be treated.

Autonomic Nervous SystemDiagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Understanding chronic fatigue syndrome: an empirical guide to assessment and treatment.

Johnson, S K·Journal of health psychology·1999

This 1999 guide provides healthcare providers and patients with practical methods for evaluating and treating chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The authors reviewed existing evidence to create a framework for assessment—including tests and questionnaires—and outlined treatment approaches. This work aims to help clinicians better recognize and manage ME/CFS in their patients.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

Demonstration of delayed recovery from fatiguing exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Paul, L, Wood, L, Behan, W M et al.·European journal of neurology·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS recover more slowly from exercise than healthy people. Researchers had both patients and control subjects perform intense leg muscle contractions, then measured how quickly their muscle strength returned to normal. The results confirmed that while both groups got tired similarly during exercise, people with ME/CFS took much longer to recover their muscle strength afterward—even 24 hours later.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Chronic fatigue syndrome: new insights and old ignorance.

Evengård, B, Schacterle, R S, Komaroff, A L·Journal of internal medicine·1999

ME/CFS is a complex condition that affects thinking, sleep quality, and causes physical symptoms like sore throats, muscle pain, and exhaustion after activity. While many patients report that their illness began with an infection, scientists still don't fully understand how infections connect to ME/CFS. Research shows the immune system is overactive and certain brain systems aren't working normally, suggesting ME/CFS involves multiple body systems.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Fungal spores: hazardous to health?

Sorenson, W G·Environmental health perspectives·1999

This review discusses how fungal spores in the air can affect human health. Fungal spores are tiny particles that can enter the lungs when inhaled, and some contain harmful substances called mycotoxins. The article notes that breathing in fungal spores has been linked to various health problems, including chronic fatigue syndrome, along with lung disease and other serious conditions.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[Similarities of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity].

Csef, H·Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)·1999

This study looked at three conditions—chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivity—to see if they share similarities. The researchers examined how these conditions might be related to each other based on their common features. Understanding these connections could help doctors better recognize and treat patients who experience overlapping symptoms across these conditions.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

The development of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Attitudes Test. A psychometric analysis.

Shlaes, J L, Jason, L A, Ferrari, J R·Evaluation & the health professions·1999

This study created a new tool called the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Attitudes Test (CAT) to measure how people feel about ME/CFS and those who have it. Researchers designed a 13-question survey based on common negative attitudes people hold toward the illness. The tool was tested to make sure it works reliably and accurately captures these attitudes.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Report of a workshop on the epidemiology, natural history, and pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents.

Marshall, G S·The Journal of pediatrics·1999

This 1999 workshop report brought together experts to discuss what was known about ME/CFS in teenagers. The report summarized information about how common the illness is, how it develops over time, and what might cause it in young people. It served as an important step in recognizing that ME/CFS affects adolescents and that they needed specialized attention.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Natural killer cells and natural killer cell activity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Whiteside, T L, Friberg, D·The American journal of medicine·1998

This study examines natural killer (NK) cells—white blood cells that help fight infections and abnormal cells—in people with ME/CFS. The researchers found that many ME/CFS patients have lower-than-normal NK cell activity. The study explores why this happens and how it might be related to the disease, while also noting that findings have been difficult to confirm across different studies.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Evaluation of central serotonergic function in affective and related disorders by the fenfluramine challenge test: a critical review.

Newman, Michael E., Shapira, Baruch, Lerer, Bernard·The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology·1998

This review examines a test called the fenfluramine challenge test, which measures how well the brain's serotonin system is working by looking at prolactin levels after taking fenfluramine. The researchers found that people with depression typically had a blunted (reduced) prolactin response, and that some people with chronic fatigue syndrome might have had an enhanced response, though not many studies existed in this group.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Silicone breast implants and autoimmune disease.

Brown, S L, Langone, J J, Brinton, L A·Journal of the American Medical Women's Association (1972)·1998

In 1992, the FDA paused approval of silicone breast implants due to safety concerns, particularly worries about autoimmune diseases like scleroderma. This editorial reviews studies conducted since then and finds that while large increases in connective tissue disease overall were ruled out, studies were too small to detect rare diseases. The authors note that new methodologies for studying conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome might help answer whether implants cause a specific syndrome.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Evidence for and pathophysiologic implications of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Demitrack, M A, Crofford, L J·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·1998

This study found that people with ME/CFS have reduced activity in their stress-response system—a network in the brain called the HPA axis that normally helps the body cope with physical and emotional challenges. The researchers discovered that this underactive response pattern is different from what happens in depression, and it may explain why stress and exertion worsen ME/CFS symptoms. The findings suggest that problems with specific brain chemicals involved in stress regulation may contribute to the condition.

Endocrine Disruption

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Stress-associated immune modulation: relevance to viral infections and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Glaser, R, Kiecolt-Glaser, J K·The American journal of medicine·1998

This review examines whether ME/CFS might be triggered by viruses interacting with stress and the immune system. While doctors had noticed that people with ME/CFS often have signs of viral infection, previous research hadn't found a clear virus-to-ME/CFS connection. The authors explore how stress, dormant viruses like Epstein-Barr, and the body's immune response could work together to cause ME/CFS symptoms.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Hormonal influences on stress-induced neutrophil mobilization in health and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cannon, J G, Angel, J B, Abad, L W et al.·Journal of clinical immunology·1998

Researchers compared how the bodies of women with ME/CFS and healthy women respond to exercise, focusing on immune cells called neutrophils and stress hormones. Both groups showed similar increases in neutrophils after 15 minutes of stepping exercise. However, in healthy women, the neutrophil response was linked to hormone levels (like cortisol and progesterone), while these connections were absent in women with ME/CFS—suggesting their hormonal regulation of immune cells may work differently.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclear

A 56-year-old woman with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1 year later.

Delbanco, T L, Daley, J, Hartman, E E·JAMA·1998

This study describes the medical journey of one woman with ME/CFS over the course of a year, documenting how her symptoms changed and how different treatments affected her condition. The researchers tracked her experiences to provide insight into what living with ME/CFS is like over time and what approaches doctors tried to help her.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Dysfunction of natural killer activity in a family with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Levine, P H, Whiteside, T L, Friberg, D et al.·Clinical immunology and immunopathology·1998

Researchers studied a family where 8 members had ME/CFS and found that their natural killer (NK) cells—immune cells that help fight infections and cancer—were not working as well as they should. Some unaffected family members also had lower NK activity, suggesting this might be an inherited trait. The findings raise the possibility that a genetic weakness in immune function could increase risk for both ME/CFS and cancer in this family.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Neurally mediated hypotension and autonomic dysfunction measured by heart rate variability during head-up tilt testing in children with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Stewart, J, Weldon, A, Arlievsky, N et al.·Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society·1998

This study looked at how the nervous system controls heart rate in children with ME/CFS during a tilt test (where patients lie flat then are gradually tilted upright). Researchers found that children with ME/CFS had much lower heart rate variability—a measure of how well the nervous system adjusts the heart—compared to children who faint from other causes and healthy controls. When tilted, children with ME/CFS did not show the normal nervous system adjustments that other groups showed, suggesting their autonomic nervous system (which controls involuntary functions) may not be working properly.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Klimas, N·Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society·1998

This 1998 review article explores how ME/CFS and fibromyalgia may develop, focusing on potential biological mechanisms in the body. The researchers, led by Dr. Nancy Klimas, examined connections between growth hormone, immune system dysfunction, and the symptoms patients experience. Understanding these underlying causes is an important step toward better treatments.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain.

Bennett, R·Current opinion in rheumatology·1998

This review examines how fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and widespread pain are related conditions that share similar features. Researchers found that these conditions run in families, involve abnormal pain processing in the nervous system, and may share some underlying biological problems like growth hormone imbalances and low blood pressure. Several medications and treatments showed promise in reducing symptoms.

Pain and Sensitization

← Previous Next 20 studies →

Or browse by topic

PEM Immune Neuro Metabolic Biomarkers Severe ME Long COVID Cognitive

Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection: a treatable cause of chronic fatigue syndrome.

The importance of orthostatic intolerance in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Understanding chronic fatigue syndrome: an empirical guide to assessment and treatment.

Demonstration of delayed recovery from fatiguing exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: new insights and old ignorance.

Fungal spores: hazardous to health?

[Similarities of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity].

The development of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Attitudes Test. A psychometric analysis.

Report of a workshop on the epidemiology, natural history, and pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents.

Natural killer cells and natural killer cell activity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Evaluation of central serotonergic function in affective and related disorders by the fenfluramine challenge test: a critical review.

Silicone breast implants and autoimmune disease.

Evidence for and pathophysiologic implications of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Stress-associated immune modulation: relevance to viral infections and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hormonal influences on stress-induced neutrophil mobilization in health and chronic fatigue syndrome.

A 56-year-old woman with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1 year later.

Dysfunction of natural killer activity in a family with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neurally mediated hypotension and autonomic dysfunction measured by heart rate variability during head-up tilt testing in children with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research