ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2422 studies

2301–2320 of 2,422 studies

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Pain syndromes, disability, and chronic disease in childhood.

Malleson, P N·Current opinion in rheumatology·1991

This editorial discusses how chronic pain and long-term illnesses affect children, and suggests that conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may be related to each other. The author notes that doctors need better training to understand these complex conditions and that psychological factors may play a role in how these illnesses develop and affect children's lives.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Chronic fatigue syndrome: issues in the diagnosis and estimation of incidence.

Armon, C, Kurland, L T·Reviews of infectious diseases·1991

This article examines how ME/CFS is diagnosed and points out problems with the current definition used by doctors. The authors identified several issues: the definition doesn't clearly address what happens when patients do too much activity, it doesn't specify how much rest is needed, and it may miss cases in poorer communities. They suggest a new flowchart that could help identify different types of ME/CFS and potentially help some patients avoid developing the condition.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Chronic fatigue syndrome: is it real?

Kroenke, K·Postgraduate medicine·1991

This 1991 editorial discusses what doctors understood about ME/CFS at that time. The author suggests that ME/CFS is likely connected to depression, mild immune system problems, or a combination of both, rather than being caused by Epstein-Barr virus alone. The article recommends that doctors use careful patient interviews, physical exams, and basic blood tests to diagnose the condition, and that supportive, hopeful care is important for treatment.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Seasonal affective disorder presenting as chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lam, R W·Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie·1991

This study describes two patients who were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) but actually had seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—a type of depression that occurs during certain seasons. Both patients improved significantly when treated with light therapy rather than typical CFS treatments. The study highlights that depression, including seasonal depression, can look very similar to CFS and needs to be carefully ruled out before diagnosing CFS.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Altered cytokine release in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures from patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chao, C C, Janoff, E N, Hu, S X et al.·Cytokine·1991

This study found that immune cells from people with ME/CFS respond differently to stimulation than cells from healthy people. Specifically, when researchers activated these immune cells in the lab, they released higher levels of inflammatory molecules (IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha), suggesting that ME/CFS patients' immune cells may be in a heightened state of readiness. The study also found unusual patterns in a molecule called TGF-beta, which normally helps regulate immune responses.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Cognitive behaviour therapy in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Butler, S, Chalder, T, Ron, M et al.·Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·1991

This study tested whether cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)—a type of talk therapy focusing on thoughts and behaviors—could help 50 ME/CFS patients who had been sick for an average of five years. Patients received therapy aimed at identifying unhelpful beliefs about their symptoms and gradually returning to activities. The therapy led to meaningful improvements in fatigue, overall functioning, and mood, though some patients refused treatment.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Evidence for impaired activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Demitrack, M A, Dale, J K, Straus, S E et al.·The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism·1991

This study examined whether ME/CFS patients have a problem with their body's stress hormone system, specifically the network that controls cortisol production. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had lower cortisol levels than healthy people, but their bodies were responding unusually to stimulation—suggesting the problem lies in the brain's control center rather than the adrenal glands themselves.

Endocrine Disruption

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Psychiatric perspectives: an overview.

Woods, T O, Goldberg, D P·British medical bulletin·1991

This review examines how psychological and social factors may play a role in ME/CFS. The authors suggest that while a viral illness may trigger the condition in people with certain personality traits, over time the disorder becomes maintained by how people and doctors respond to the illness rather than the original virus itself. They discuss how doctor-patient interactions and how people cope with their illness may contribute to keeping ME/CFS going.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Neuro-ocular Lyme borreliosis.

Smith, J L·Neurologic clinics·1991

This study suggests that some patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) might actually have Lyme disease, a tick-borne infection that can affect the brain and eyes. The authors recommend doctors ask CFS patients detailed questions about tick exposure and check for specific eye and neurological problems, then use blood and urine tests to look for evidence of Lyme infection.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

The chronic fatigue syndrome: a reappraisal and unifying hypothesis.

Byrne, E·Clinical and experimental neurology·1991

This 1991 review examined ME/CFS from multiple scientific angles—including viral infection, immune system problems, metabolism, and mental health—to understand why this condition develops. The authors proposed that ME/CFS typically results from a combination of factors: personal characteristics before illness (like psychological traits or immune vulnerabilities), a trigger (such as a virus), and how someone's emotions respond to being sick. Rather than having one single cause, ME/CFS appears to exist on a spectrum of different presentations.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Molecular approaches to epidemiologic evaluation of viruses as risk factors for patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome.

Miller, G·Reviews of infectious diseases·1991

This paper proposes that studying how viral infections like flu, hepatitis, and mono can trigger long-term fatigue might help us understand ME/CFS. The researchers suggest examining not just whether someone had a virus, but how much virus was present, which type of virus it was, where it spread in the body, and whether the virus was active or dormant. They also recommend looking carefully at how individual patients' immune systems respond to specific parts of viruses.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Assessment of depression in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Thase, M E·Reviews of infectious diseases·1991

This paper examines how depression and ME/CFS are connected and how to tell them apart. The authors warn that depression is sometimes mistakenly diagnosed as ME/CFS, while in other cases ME/CFS itself may cause depression-like symptoms. They recommend that doctors use multiple assessment tools and be careful to distinguish between these conditions rather than assuming one is the cause of the other.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Physiologic measurement of exercise and fatigue with special reference to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lewis, S F, Haller, R G·Reviews of infectious diseases·1991

This review article explains how scientists measure exercise capacity and fatigue in the body. It describes three key concepts: aerobic fitness (how efficiently your heart and muscles use oxygen), muscle strength (your muscles' ability to produce force), and fatigue (the loss of strength that happens during activity). The authors discuss how these measurements might help us better understand what happens in ME/CFS when patients experience excessive fatigue.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

A supplemental interview for forms of "affective spectrum disorder".

Pope, H G, Hudson, J I·International journal of psychiatry in medicine·1991

Researchers created a standardized interview tool to help diagnose seven different conditions—including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, narcolepsy, Tourette's disorder, and kleptomania—based on the idea that these disorders may be related to each other. They developed questions following a recognized medical interview format and tested the tool with over 100 patients. The authors suggest these conditions may share common underlying features related to mood and emotion regulation.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Fibromyalgia and parvovirus infection.

Leventhal, L J, Naides, S J, Freundlich, B·Arthritis and rheumatism·1991

This study describes three patients who developed fibromyalgia (a condition causing widespread pain and fatigue) shortly after having parvovirus B19 infections. Blood tests confirmed the virus was present, and sleep studies showed abnormal sleep patterns in two patients. The researchers suggest that doctors should look more carefully for viral infections in fibromyalgia patients whose symptoms started with flu-like illness.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Ablashi, D V, Zompetta, C, Lease, C et al.·Canada diseases weekly report = Rapport hebdomadaire des maladies au Canada·1991

This review article examines whether human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), a common virus that infects most people in childhood, might be connected to ME/CFS. The authors gathered available evidence about HHV6 and its potential role in causing or contributing to chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome): an historic perspective.

Hyde, B M·Canada diseases weekly report = Rapport hebdomadaire des maladies au Canada·1991

This article provides a historical overview of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), tracing how the condition has been understood and documented over time. It examines the disease's recognition in medical literature and explores how ME/CFS has been characterized throughout history. This historical perspective helps patients and the public understand how medical understanding of this illness has evolved.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

Anti-neuronal antibody levels in chronic fatigue syndrome patients with neurologic abnormalities.

Buchwald, D, Wener, M H, Komaroff, A L·Arthritis and rheumatism·1991

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS who have neurological symptoms (like problems with thinking or nerve function) have unusual antibodies in their blood that attack nerve cells. Researchers tested blood samples from ME/CFS patients and compared antibody levels between those with and without neurological problems. The goal was to understand whether immune system misdirection might be causing some of the neurological symptoms patients experience.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Detection of Epstein-Barr virus with molecular hybridization techniques.

Pagano, J S·Reviews of infectious diseases·1991

This paper reviews different laboratory techniques for detecting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus that some researchers suspect might play a role in ME/CFS. The authors explain that newer methods like genetic testing and blood analysis are much faster and more accurate than older traditional tests, and could help scientists understand whether EBV actually causes chronic fatigue syndrome.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearCase-Control

Nortriptyline in chronic fatigue syndrome: a double blind, placebo-controlled single case study.

Gracious, B, Wisner, K L·Biological psychiatry·1991

This study tested whether a medication called nortriptyline (an older type of antidepressant) could help one person with ME/CFS. The researchers gave the patient either the medication or a placebo (inactive pill) without telling them which was which, and tracked how they felt. This type of single-patient study can provide useful information, but it only shows what happened with one individual and cannot prove the treatment works for everyone with ME/CFS.

Interventions

← Previous Next 20 studies →

Or browse by topic

PEM Immune Neuro Metabolic Biomarkers Severe ME Long COVID Cognitive

Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Pain syndromes, disability, and chronic disease in childhood.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: issues in the diagnosis and estimation of incidence.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: is it real?

Seasonal affective disorder presenting as chronic fatigue syndrome.

Altered cytokine release in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures from patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cognitive behaviour therapy in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Evidence for impaired activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Psychiatric perspectives: an overview.

Neuro-ocular Lyme borreliosis.

The chronic fatigue syndrome: a reappraisal and unifying hypothesis.

Molecular approaches to epidemiologic evaluation of viruses as risk factors for patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome.

Assessment of depression in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Physiologic measurement of exercise and fatigue with special reference to chronic fatigue syndrome.

A supplemental interview for forms of "affective spectrum disorder".

Fibromyalgia and parvovirus infection.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome): an historic perspective.

Anti-neuronal antibody levels in chronic fatigue syndrome patients with neurologic abnormalities.

Detection of Epstein-Barr virus with molecular hybridization techniques.

Nortriptyline in chronic fatigue syndrome: a double blind, placebo-controlled single case study.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research