Evidence browser

Neuroimmune mechanisms in health and disease: 2. Disease.

Anisman, H, Baines, M G, Berczi, I et al.·CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne·1996

When your body fights an infection, your immune system releases chemical messengers called cytokines that trigger fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, and inactivity—changes controlled partly by your brain and nervous system. This review explains how problems in the communication between your immune system and brain (particularly an area called the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) may contribute to chronic conditions including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune diseases. Understanding these connections could lead to new treatments using hormones and other brain-signaling molecules.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: a stress disorder?

Cleare, A J, Wessely, S C·British journal of hospital medicine·1996

This paper explores whether ME/CFS might be connected to stress and how the body responds to stress. The authors examine the evidence around the relationship between stress responses and ME/CFS symptoms, considering whether stress-related factors play a role in the condition's development or persistence.

Endocrine Disruption

Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sharpe, M·The Psychiatric clinics of North America·1996

ME/CFS is a serious illness that causes extreme tiredness, difficulty concentrating, muscle pain, and other physical symptoms that doctors cannot fully explain with standard tests. This review explains that ME/CFS involves both real physical changes in the body and emotional or social factors that affect how someone experiences the illness. The best approach to treating ME/CFS is to carefully assess each person's unique situation rather than debating whether it's purely medical or psychiatric.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

N of 1 trials. Managing patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: two case reports.

Wiebe, E·Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien·1996

This study looked at two individual ME/CFS patients to see which treatments might help them personally. One patient tried high-dose vitamin B12 injections but they didn't help. Another patient tried a medication called nimodipine and found it worked very well for them. The doctors used a special testing method called N of 1 trials, where treatments are tested in one person at a time to see what actually helps that specific individual.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

Influence of immediate hypersensitivity skin reactions on delayed reactions in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Steinberg, P, Pheley, A, Peterson, P K·The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology·1996

This study looked at how immediate allergic skin reactions (like those that happen within minutes of allergen exposure) might affect delayed allergic reactions (which develop over hours or days) in people with ME/CFS. Researchers were investigating whether the immune system's early response to allergens could influence its later response in this patient population. Understanding these connections may help explain why some ME/CFS patients experience unusual or prolonged allergic reactions.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

["Prolonged" decay test and auditory brainstem responses in the clinical diagnosis of the chronic fatigue syndrome].

Neri, G, Bianchedi, M, Croce, A et al.·Acta otorhinolaryngologica Italica : organo ufficiale della Societa italiana di otorinolaringologia e chirurgia cervico-facciale·1996

This study tested whether two hearing-related tests could help diagnose ME/CFS. Researchers examined 21 people with suspected ME/CFS using specialized hearing tests that measure how the brainstem processes sound and how the ear muscles respond to loud noises. When both tests were combined, they correctly identified about 82% of people with ME/CFS, suggesting these tests might be useful diagnostic tools.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

The chronic fatigue syndrome: a position paper.

Salit, I E·The Journal of rheumatology·1996

This is a position paper from a medical expert on chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) published in a rheumatology journal in 1996. Rather than presenting new research data, the author provides professional guidance and recommendations on how to understand and approach ME/CFS as a medical condition. This type of paper helps establish clinical standards and best practices for doctors treating patients with ME/CFS.

Neuroimmune and neuropsychiatric aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Krupp, L B, Pollina, D·Advances in neuroimmunology·1996

This review examined how the immune system and nervous system may both contribute to ME/CFS symptoms. The authors looked at evidence that ME/CFS involves both brain-based changes and immune system dysfunction, which could explain why patients experience fatigue, cognitive problems, and mood changes.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Decreased postexercise facilitation of motor evoked potentials in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or depression.

Samii, A, Wassermann, E M, Ikoma, K et al.·Neurology·1996

This study measured how the brain's motor cortex responds to exercise using magnetic stimulation in people with ME/CFS, depressed patients, and healthy controls. After exercise, healthy people showed a much stronger increase in brain activity (218%), while ME/CFS patients showed a weaker increase (126%), suggesting their brains may not respond as vigorously to physical exertion as they should.

Post-Exertional Malaise

[Fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. Similarities and differences].

Hoffmann, A, Linder, R, Kröger, B et al.·Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)·1996

This study compared fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) to understand how they are similar and how they differ. Researchers examined patients with both conditions to identify shared symptoms and unique characteristics that could help doctors better recognize and distinguish between them.

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

Fatigue brought on by malfunction of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

McComas, A J, Miller, R G, Gandevia, S C·Advances in experimental medicine and biology·1995

This review examines why people with nervous system disorders experience extreme tiredness and weakness. The authors looked at several conditions—including post-polio syndrome, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, ALS, and ME/CFS—and found that damage to nerves can make muscles tire much more easily than normal. Lack of physical activity can make this problem worse over time.

[The classification of Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease)].

Lesniak, O M, Belikov, E S·Terapevticheskii arkhiv·1995

This paper proposes a new way to classify and organize Lyme disease based on when it starts (acute, subacute, or chronic), how widespread it is in the body, and whether certain tests are positive or negative. The authors also note that some people develop chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia after Lyme disease, and they include these complications in their classification system.

10 key questions answered on chronic fatigue syndrome.

Gantz, N M·Contemporary internal medicine·1995

This is an editorial article that addresses 10 frequently asked questions about chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Rather than reporting new research data, the author discusses common questions patients and doctors have about the condition, its diagnosis, and management. The article aims to help clarify misconceptions and provide practical information about ME/CFS.

[Differential therapy of chronic fatigue syndrome].

Pankow, W, Feddersen, C O, von Wichert, P·Der Internist·1995

This 1995 study examines different treatment approaches for chronic fatigue syndrome. The authors review various therapeutic options that may help ME/CFS patients manage their symptoms. While specific details are limited due to the abstract not being available, this work represents an early clinical discussion of treatment strategies for this complex illness.

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM not requiredGuideline

Chronic fatigue syndrome. Committee for Science and Education, Medical Association of South Africa.

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde·1995

A group of South African medical experts created guidelines to help doctors recognize and treat chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The guidelines outline what symptoms and test results might help diagnose CFS, and suggest reasonable ways to manage the condition while keeping costs reasonable. However, the experts disagreed significantly about whether CFS is a real, distinct illness.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclear

Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Krilov, L R·Pediatric annals·1995

This 1995 study examined chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children by comparing cases with controls. The research aimed to better understand how this condition affects young patients. As a case-control study, it looked at differences between children who had ME/CFS and those who didn't to identify important patterns.

Sleep, neuroimmune and neuroendocrine functions in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Moldofsky, H·Advances in neuroimmunology·1995

This review examines how sleep problems, immune system dysfunction, and hormone imbalances may be connected in fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. The authors suggest that when the body's internal clock is disrupted, it can trigger a cascade of problems including poor sleep quality, pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties. They propose that studying these interconnected systems together—rather than separately—may help explain why these conditions are so disabling.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Chronic fatigue syndrome. 2: Treatment and future research.

Kantrowitz, F G, Farrar, D J, Locke, S E·Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.)·1995

This review article examines different ways to treat ME/CFS and outlines important directions for future research. The authors discuss various treatment approaches that have been studied and identify gaps in our current understanding of the condition. The paper emphasizes that while treatment options exist, more research is needed to find more effective therapies.

Sleep

Is neurally mediated hypotension an unrecognised cause of chronic fatigue?

Rowe, P C, Bou-Holaigah, I, Kan, J S et al.·Lancet (London, England)·1995

This study looked at whether a condition called neurally mediated hypotension—where blood pressure drops suddenly when standing up—might be causing chronic fatigue in some patients. Researchers tested seven teenagers with severe fatigue using a tilt-table test (which gradually tilts the body upright) and found that all seven experienced significant drops in blood pressure. Four of these patients improved when treated with specific heart medications, suggesting this condition may contribute to some cases of ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

Neurasthenia, myalgic encephalitis or cryptogenic chronic fatigue syndrome?

Leitch, A G·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·1995

This 1995 paper explores the history and naming of ME/CFS, comparing three different terms used to describe the condition: neurasthenia (an older term), myalgic encephalitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The author examines how the same illness has been called different names over time and in different places, which can create confusion about what the condition actually is.