ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2423 studies

241–260 of 2,423 studies

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

A Narrative Review on Gut Microbiome Disturbances and Microbial Preparations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for Long COVID.

Jurek, Joanna Michalina, Castro-Marrero, Jesus·Nutrients·2024

This review examines how changes in gut bacteria may contribute to ME/CFS and long COVID symptoms, and whether taking probiotics or similar microbial preparations might help. The authors looked at existing research to understand the connection between gut health and the brain-immune system, and whether restoring healthy gut bacteria could reduce fatigue, inflammation, and other symptoms in these conditions.

NeuroinflammationImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Six-Week Supplementation with Creatine in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Feasibility Study at 3 Tesla.

Godlewska, Beata R, Sylvester, Amy L, Emir, Uzay E et al.·Nutrients·2024

Researchers gave 11 people with ME/CFS a creatine supplement (a natural substance that helps cells produce energy) for 6 weeks. Brain scans showed the supplement increased creatine levels in key brain regions, and participants reported feeling less fatigued, had faster reaction times on thinking tests, and showed stronger hand grip strength. The supplement was well tolerated with no side effects reported.

Cognitive Impairment

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

Mitochondria Dysfunction and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Ross, Stephanie Maxine·Holistic nursing practice·2024

This review examines how problems with mitochondria—the energy-producing parts of our cells—might contribute to ME/CFS. The study explores the theory that when mitochondria don't work properly, cells can't produce enough energy, which could explain the severe fatigue and exhaustion that ME/CFS patients experience. Understanding this connection may help researchers develop better treatments aimed at restoring cellular energy production.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Post-exertional malaise - A functional brain aberration?

Bruun Bratholm Wyller, Vegard·Brain, behavior, and immunity·2024

This study explores whether post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS where activity makes symptoms worse—might be caused by problems in how the brain functions. Researchers examined brain activity patterns in ME/CFS patients to understand what happens after exertion. The findings suggest that brain function abnormalities could play a role in why patients experience this debilitating symptom.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A phenomenological study on the lived experience of men with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Snell, Gracie Elizabeth, Seage, Catherine Heidi, Mercer, Jenny·Journal of health psychology·2024

This study interviewed five men with ME/CFS to understand how they experience the illness differently than women might. The men struggled to accept their diagnosis because they felt their symptoms conflicted with what they thought it meant to be male. They also felt that doctors didn't take their ME/CFS seriously, so they looked for support and validation from other people with the condition instead.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Longitudinal cytokine and multi-modal health data of an extremely severe ME/CFS patient with HSD reveals insights into immunopathology, and disease severity.

Jahanbani, Fereshteh, Sing, Justin Cyril, Maynard, Rajan Douglas et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2024

This study tracked one very severely ill ME/CFS patient over time, measuring immune system markers and detailed health information. Researchers found that the patient's immune system was shifted toward a Th2-type response (typically seen in allergies), with unusually high levels of certain immune chemicals. The study also introduced new smartphone apps to help patients and doctors track symptoms and treatment responses in real time.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredCase-Control

Pediatric and adult patients with ME/CFS following COVID-19: A structured approach to diagnosis using the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaire (MBSQ).

Peo, Laura-Carlotta, Wiehler, Katharina, Paulick, Johannes et al.·European journal of pediatrics·2024

This study looked at young people (ages 11-25) who developed ME/CFS after having COVID-19, even when their initial infection was mild or asymptomatic. Researchers created new questionnaires called the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaires (MBSQs) to help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more easily and consistently. The study found that ten young patients had severe problems with daily activities and quality of life after developing ME/CFS following COVID-19.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Immune exhaustion in ME/CFS and long COVID.

Eaton-Fitch, Natalie, Rudd, Penny, Er, Teagan et al.·JCI insight·2024

This study looked at immune system genes in blood samples from people with ME/CFS and long COVID to understand why their immune systems aren't working properly. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had reduced immune signaling and infection-fighting genes, suggesting immune suppression, while long COVID patients showed different patterns of immune dysregulation. These findings suggest that both conditions involve problems with how the immune system activates and responds, which may help explain why people with these illnesses struggle with persistent symptoms.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

A suffering body, hidden away from others: The experience of being long-term bedridden with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood and adolescence.

Krabbe, Silje Helen, Bjorbækmo, Wenche Schrøder, Mengshoel, Anne Marit et al.·Nursing inquiry·2024

This study explored how young women experienced being severely ill with ME/CFS during their teenage years, looking back from a point where they had recovered or improved. Researchers interviewed 13 women aged 16-29 about their memories of being bedridden and isolated. The study found that patients often felt caught between wanting company and needing to be alone, experienced their bodies as fragile and unstable, endured long periods of darkness and isolation, and eventually had to make sense of these painful memories as they recovered.

Severe ME

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Development of an expert system for the classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Yagin, Fatma Hilal, Shateri, Ahmadreza, Nasiri, Hamid et al.·PeerJ. Computer science·2024

Researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze blood samples from 32 women with ME/CFS and 19 healthy controls, examining 832 different substances in their blood. The AI model identified just 50 key substances that could distinguish ME/CFS patients from healthy people with 98.85% accuracy. The study found that ME/CFS patients had different levels of five specific metabolites in their blood, which could potentially be used as biomarkers for diagnosis.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Long COVID and hypermobility spectrum disorders have shared pathophysiology.

Ganesh, Ravindra, Munipalli, Bala·Frontiers in neurology·2024

This review highlights that people with long COVID and ME/CFS often have joint hypermobility (excessive flexibility) at rates much higher than the general population. Both conditions share similar symptoms like pain, heart rate problems, brain fog, and fatigue, and may involve similar inflammatory processes affecting connective tissues. The authors suggest that screening for joint hypermobility and related conditions is important for long COVID patients, and that treatment should focus on managing individual symptoms through medication, gentle exercise, massage, and relaxation techniques.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Transcriptional reprogramming primes CD8+ T cells toward exhaustion in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Iu, David S, Maya, Jessica, Vu, Luyen T et al.·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024

This study found that certain immune cells called CD8+ T cells in people with ME/CFS show signs of exhaustion—they appear worn out and unable to function properly. Researchers used advanced techniques to examine the genes active in these cells and discovered that the cells have shifted into a state similar to what happens when the immune system fights a long-lasting infection. This exhaustion might explain some of the immune system problems seen in ME/CFS.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Successful Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Therapy in a Case Series of Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Sjogren, Per, Bragée, Bjorn, Britton, Sven·Clinical therapeutics·2024

This study tested a treatment called subcutaneous immunoglobulin (a protein that helps the immune system) in 17 ME/CFS patients whose symptoms seemed to be triggered by infections. After 5 weeks of treatment, patients reported significant improvements in their symptoms, quality of life, and ability to work, with no serious side effects. One patient reported their ME/CFS symptoms disappeared completely.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Novel characterization of endogenous transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels from Gulf War Illness participants.

Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya, Martini Sasso, Etianne, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie et al.·PloS one·2024

This study looked at a specific protein channel (TRPM3) in immune cells called natural killer cells from Gulf War veterans with GWI and compared them to healthy people. The researchers found that TRPM3 doesn't work properly in the Gulf War veterans' cells, whereas it functions normally in healthy people. This finding is important because the same problem with TRPM3 has been seen in ME/CFS patients, suggesting these two illnesses might share a common biological issue.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

Attenuating post-exertional malaise in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID: Is blood lactate monitoring the answer?

Faghy, Professor Mark A, Ashton, Dr Ruth Em, McNelis, Mr Robin et al.·Current problems in cardiology·2024

This editorial discusses whether measuring blood lactate levels could help manage post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the debilitating fatigue that occurs after physical activity in ME/CFS and long-COVID patients. The authors suggest that blood lactate monitoring might help identify safe exercise limits and prevent PEM crashes. However, this is an opinion piece rather than a research study with new data.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearCase-Control

The novel application of the Lightning Process to treat Long COVID in primary care - Case report.

Finch, F, Parker, P, Nollett, C et al.·Explore (New York, N.Y.)·2024

This study looked at whether a self-help program called the Lightning Process could help two Long COVID patients manage their fatigue and other symptoms. Both patients reported feeling better in terms of tiredness, physical symptoms, and emotional wellbeing after completing the program and three months later. While these results are encouraging, this is a very small report of just two people, so we need larger studies to know if this approach works for most Long COVID patients.

Interventions

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 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Repeated cold stress, an animal model for fibromyalgia, elicits proprioceptor-induced chronic pain with microglial activation in mice.

Wakatsuki, Koji, Kiryu-Seo, Sumiko, Yasui, Masaya et al.·Journal of neuroinflammation·2024

Researchers used mice exposed to repeated cold stress to study how chronic pain develops, similar to fibromyalgia. They found that sensory nerve cells (proprioceptors) become overactive and trigger immune cells in the nervous system called microglia to become inflamed. When they reduced microglial activity with a drug, the pain improved, suggesting that this immune activation along nerve pathways may be a key driver of long-lasting pain.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not required

Stress-Related Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Case Report with a Positive Response to Alpha-Methyl-P-Tyrosine (AMPT) Treatment.

Ljungström, Maria, Oltra, Elisa, Pardo, Marta·International journal of molecular sciences·2024

This case report describes one patient with ME/CFS who had high levels of stress and an overactive stress-response system in his body. He was treated with a medication called alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT), which lowers stress chemicals in the body, and his symptoms improved. The report suggests that some people with ME/CFS may have problems with how their body produces and manages stress chemicals, and this medication might help them.

Autonomic Nervous System

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A Narrative Review on Gut Microbiome Disturbances and Microbial Preparations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for Long COVID.

Six-Week Supplementation with Creatine in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Feasibility Study at 3 Tesla.

Cardiac Geometry and Function in Patients with Reflex Syncope.

Mitochondria Dysfunction and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Post-exertional malaise - A functional brain aberration?

A phenomenological study on the lived experience of men with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Longitudinal cytokine and multi-modal health data of an extremely severe ME/CFS patient with HSD reveals insights into immunopathology, and disease severity.

Pediatric and adult patients with ME/CFS following COVID-19: A structured approach to diagnosis using the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaire (MBSQ).

Immune exhaustion in ME/CFS and long COVID.

A suffering body, hidden away from others: The experience of being long-term bedridden with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood and adolescence.

Development of an expert system for the classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Long COVID and hypermobility spectrum disorders have shared pathophysiology.

Transcriptional reprogramming primes CD8+ T cells toward exhaustion in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Successful Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Therapy in a Case Series of Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Novel characterization of endogenous transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels from Gulf War Illness participants.

Attenuating post-exertional malaise in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID: Is blood lactate monitoring the answer?

The novel application of the Lightning Process to treat Long COVID in primary care - Case report.

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

Repeated cold stress, an animal model for fibromyalgia, elicits proprioceptor-induced chronic pain with microglial activation in mice.

Stress-Related Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Case Report with a Positive Response to Alpha-Methyl-P-Tyrosine (AMPT) Treatment.

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