ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2420 studies

201–220 of 2,420 studies

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

Head-down tilt reduces the heart rate in postural tachycardia syndrome in acute setting: a pilot study.

Novak, Peter·Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology·2024

This small study tested whether tilting the head downward slightly could help people with POTS (a condition causing rapid heart rate when standing). Researchers found that a 10-degree head-down tilt for 2 minutes safely reduced heart rate by about 10% and improved blood oxygen levels. Four of the seven patients tested also had ME/CFS, suggesting this approach might have potential for multiple related conditions.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Microvascular Capillary and Precapillary Cardiovascular Disturbances Strongly Interact to Severely Affect Tissue Perfusion and Mitochondrial Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Evolving from the Post COVID-19 Syndrome.

Wirth, Klaus Josef, Löhn, Matthias·Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)·2024

This study proposes that ME/CFS may develop from COVID-19 in some people due to problems with how blood flows through tiny vessels in the body. The researchers suggest that abnormal blood cells and clots, combined with weak heart function and overly constricted blood vessels, create a double problem that starves muscles of oxygen and damages the energy-producing structures (mitochondria) inside cells. This combination may trigger a harmful cycle that keeps the problem going.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

Virtual reality education on myalgic encephalomyelitis for medical students and healthcare professionals: a pilot study.

Anderson, Tara, Duffy, Grace, Corry, Dagmar·BMC medical education·2024

Researchers tested whether a virtual reality (VR) experience could help medical students and healthcare professionals better understand ME/CFS. The VR program showed real stories from people living with ME/CFS and their families. After using the VR experience, both groups showed significantly better understanding of the condition and greater empathy for patients—suggesting that immersive storytelling could be a useful training tool to address the widespread lack of knowledge about ME/CFS in healthcare.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Dysregulation of tetrahydrobiopterin metabolism in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome by pentose phosphate pathway.

Bulbule, Sarojini, Gottschalk, Carl Gunnar, Drosen, Molly E et al.·Journal of central nervous system disease·2024

Researchers found that patients with ME/CFS who experience dizziness upon standing have abnormally high levels of certain molecules called biopterins in their blood. The study discovered that these molecules are produced through an unusual metabolic pathway involving the breakdown of glucose, and this pathway appears to trigger inflammation in immune cells. This finding suggests a potential biochemical explanation for some ME/CFS symptoms.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Cardiac Geometry and Function in Patients with Reflex Syncope.

Coseriu, Giorgia, Schiop-Tentea, Patricia, Apetrei, Csilla-Andrea et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

This review examines how the size and function of the heart relate to fainting episodes in people with reflex syncope. Researchers found that people with smaller hearts and very forceful heartbeats are more prone to fainting, and this pattern is also seen in some people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Understanding these heart differences may help doctors predict who will faint again and choose better treatments.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The role of clinical neurophysiology in the definition and assessment of fatigue and fatigability.

Tankisi, Hatice, Versace, Viviana, Kuppuswamy, Annapoorna et al.·Clinical neurophysiology practice·2024

This review article explains how doctors and researchers can better understand fatigue and 'fatigability'—the reduced ability to sustain physical or mental effort. The authors describe different types of tests that can measure these problems objectively by looking at how the brain, nerves, and muscles work, rather than relying only on what patients report. These specialized tests may help identify the actual cause of fatigue in different conditions, including long COVID and ME/CFS.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Clinical Remission After Therapeutic Apheresis in a Patient Suffering from Long Term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Case Report.

Burgard, Harald·International medical case reports journal·2024

This case report describes one woman with ME/CFS for over 15 years who underwent a blood-cleaning treatment called double-filtration apheresis eight times over two years. After treatment, she experienced significant improvement in her fatigue, thinking problems, and other symptoms, with benefits that lasted over time. While this is promising, it is based on just one patient's experience and needs much larger studies to confirm whether this treatment works for others with ME/CFS.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Developing a clinical-pathological framework of long COVID-related fatigue applied to public safety workers.

Lofrano-Porto, Adriana, D'Isabel, Susanne, Smith, Denise L·Frontiers in medicine·2024

This article reviews what we know about long COVID fatigue, especially in firefighters and other public safety workers. The authors explain why fatigue after COVID is so hard to diagnose and treat, since patients often look healthy on the outside even though they feel extremely tired. They describe possible biological reasons for this fatigue and discuss why it matters for workers whose jobs require them to be physically and mentally alert.

DiagnosticsLong COVID Overlap

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Widespread Myalgia and Chronic Fatigue: Phagocytes from Macrophagic Myofasciitis Patients Exposed to Aluminum Oxyhydroxide-Adjuvanted Vaccine Exhibit Specific Inflammatory, Autophagic, and Mitochondrial Responses.

Masson, Jean-Daniel, Badran, Ghidaa, Gherardi, Romain K et al.·Toxics·2024

This study examined immune cells from people with macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF), a condition involving long-term inflammation from vaccine aluminum adjuvants lodged in muscle tissue. Researchers found that these immune cells behave abnormally when exposed to aluminum adjuvants: they produce more pain-causing molecules, show signs of energy exhaustion, and struggle to respond to their normal workload. These findings suggest a possible mechanism for why MMF patients develop severe fatigue and widespread muscle pain similar to ME/CFS.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclear

False Alarm: XMRV, Cancer, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Coffin, John M, Kearney, Mary F·Annual review of virology·2024

In 2009, scientists found a virus called XMRV in some people with ME/CFS, which created excitement that they might have discovered a cause of the illness. However, when researchers around the world tried to confirm this finding, they repeatedly could not—and eventually realized the virus had contaminated the laboratory samples with mouse virus rather than coming from patients. This article tells the story of how this discovery was made, why it turned out to be false, and what we learned from this experience.

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

Improving quality in adult long covid services: Findings from the LOCOMOTION quality improvement collaborative.

Darbyshire, Julie, Greenhalgh, Trisha, Bakerly, Nawar D et al.·Clinical medicine (London, England)·2024

This study looked at how ten long COVID clinics across the UK could improve their care for patients by sharing what they were learning with each other. From 2021 to 2023, clinic staff and patients met regularly to discuss the best ways to help people with long COVID, focusing on problems like breathing difficulties, heart rate issues, tiredness, and brain fog. The team created practical guides to help doctors provide better, more consistent care.

Autonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target.

Sasso, Etianne Martini, Muraki, Katsuhiko, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2024

This study looked at a tiny channel (called TRPM3) that sits on immune cells called NK cells, which help fight infections. Researchers found that both ME/CFS and post-COVID patients have a broken version of this channel. Importantly, they discovered that a drug called naltrexone (NTX) could fix this broken channel in lab-grown cells from post-COVID patients, suggesting it might help real patients feel better.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Mast cells in the autonomic nervous system and potential role in disorders with dysautonomia and neuroinflammation.

Theoharides, Theoharis C, Twahir, Assma, Kempuraj, Duraisamy·Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology·2024

This study examines mast cells, which are immune cells found throughout the body, and how they may be involved in conditions like ME/CFS that affect the nervous system and cause abnormal heart rate and blood pressure responses. Mast cells sit near nerve endings and important organs, where they can release chemicals that affect how the body regulates basic functions like temperature and blood pressure. The researchers suggest that controlling mast cell activation might help treat these conditions, though currently there are no proven treatments.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

KombOver: Efficient k-core and K-truss based characterization of perturbations within the human gut microbiome.

Sapoval, Nicolae, Tanevski, Marko, Treangen, Todd J·Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing·2024

This study describes a new computer tool called KombOver that analyzes bacteria in the gut more efficiently than previous methods. Researchers tested it on nearly 1,000 gut samples from people with ME/CFS and other conditions to see how microbial communities change in response to illness. The tool works much faster and requires less computing power than earlier versions, making it more practical for large research studies.

Gut Microbiome

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Case-Control Study of Individuals With Small Fiber Neuropathy After COVID-19.

McAlpine, Lindsay, Zubair, Adeel S, Joseph, Phillip et al.·Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation·2024

This study looked at 16 patients who developed nerve damage in their small nerves after COVID-19. The researchers found that 92% of these patients also had symptoms of ME/CFS, including post-exertional malaise (feeling much worse after activity). When 9 patients were treated with IVIG (an immune therapy), all of them improved significantly, while only 3 out of 7 untreated patients improved.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Current update on the neurological manifestations of long COVID: more questions than answers.

Stefanou, Maria-Ioanna, Panagiotopoulos, Evangelos, Palaiodimou, Lina et al.·EXCLI journal·2024

This review examines the nerve and brain-related symptoms that can persist after COVID-19 infection, which doctors call long COVID. About one-third of COVID-19 survivors experience lasting neurological problems such as fatigue, brain fog, sleep issues, and problems with smell or taste that can last at least 12 months. The authors discuss what we currently know about why these symptoms happen and what treatments might help.

NeuroinflammationPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

Designing and optimizing clinical trials for long COVID.

Vogel, Julia Moore, Pollack, Beth, Spier, Ezra et al.·Life sciences·2024

This study looked at all the clinical trials being tested for Long COVID on a public database and found that most trials are not well-designed or testing treatments that have enough evidence to justify testing. The researchers recommend that future trials should test actual medications that might cure Long COVID, be able to run remotely so sick patients don't have to travel, compare Long COVID to similar illnesses like ME/CFS, include diverse patients of all backgrounds and illness levels, and involve patients as research partners.

Long COVID Overlap

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Immunometabolic changes and potential biomarkers in CFS peripheral immune cells revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Sun, Yujing, Zhang, Zhenhua, Qiao, Qincheng et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2024

Researchers used advanced cell analysis to examine immune cells from the blood of 4 ME/CFS patients and 4 healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients have an unusual mix of immune cells, with too many T cells but too few natural killer cells and other immune cells that normally fight infections. Some of their immune cells also show signs of overactivity while others seem weakened, and the researchers identified a potential blood test marker that could help diagnose ME/CFS.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Health Controversies: Long-Term Disagreement Management Challenges.

Jackson, Sally·Journal of health communication·2024

This paper examines how major disagreements about health topics—including ME/CFS—develop and persist over long periods of time across different countries and communities. The author explains that these health controversies involve many people with different viewpoints who argue in multiple places (medical journals, courts, social media, etc.), and that how we manage these disagreements matters. The study shows that ME/CFS is a particularly important example because disagreements about it have shaped how institutions are designed to handle health disputes.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclear

Successful treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome using hydrogen gas: four case reports.

Hirano, Shin-Ichi, Ichikawa, Yusuke, Sato, Bunpei et al.·Medical gas research·2024

This study looked at four patients with ME/CFS who were treated with hydrogen gas and reported improvements in their symptoms. The researchers described how each patient used hydrogen gas therapy and what changes they noticed over time. While the results are encouraging for these individual cases, this is a very small study that needs much larger research to confirm whether hydrogen gas could help ME/CFS patients more broadly.

Interventions

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Evidence browser

Head-down tilt reduces the heart rate in postural tachycardia syndrome in acute setting: a pilot study.

Microvascular Capillary and Precapillary Cardiovascular Disturbances Strongly Interact to Severely Affect Tissue Perfusion and Mitochondrial Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Evolving from the Post COVID-19 Syndrome.

Virtual reality education on myalgic encephalomyelitis for medical students and healthcare professionals: a pilot study.

Dysregulation of tetrahydrobiopterin metabolism in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome by pentose phosphate pathway.

Cardiac Geometry and Function in Patients with Reflex Syncope.

The role of clinical neurophysiology in the definition and assessment of fatigue and fatigability.

Clinical Remission After Therapeutic Apheresis in a Patient Suffering from Long Term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Case Report.

Developing a clinical-pathological framework of long COVID-related fatigue applied to public safety workers.

Widespread Myalgia and Chronic Fatigue: Phagocytes from Macrophagic Myofasciitis Patients Exposed to Aluminum Oxyhydroxide-Adjuvanted Vaccine Exhibit Specific Inflammatory, Autophagic, and Mitochondrial Responses.

False Alarm: XMRV, Cancer, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Improving quality in adult long covid services: Findings from the LOCOMOTION quality improvement collaborative.

Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target.

Mast cells in the autonomic nervous system and potential role in disorders with dysautonomia and neuroinflammation.

KombOver: Efficient k-core and K-truss based characterization of perturbations within the human gut microbiome.

Case-Control Study of Individuals With Small Fiber Neuropathy After COVID-19.

Current update on the neurological manifestations of long COVID: more questions than answers.

Designing and optimizing clinical trials for long COVID.

Immunometabolic changes and potential biomarkers in CFS peripheral immune cells revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Health Controversies: Long-Term Disagreement Management Challenges.

Successful treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome using hydrogen gas: four case reports.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research