ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2422 studies

241–260 of 2,422 studies

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 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 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Sex differences in vascular endothelial function related to acute and long COVID-19.

Kitselman A, Kayla, Bédard-Matteau, Jérôme, Rousseau, Simon et al.·Vascular pharmacology·2024

This review examines how COVID-19 and long COVID affect blood vessel health differently in men and women. The authors look at how the virus can damage the inner lining of blood vessels, trigger immune problems, and potentially lead to ME/CFS symptoms. They explore whether biological sex differences explain why some people recover while others develop long-term symptoms like fatigue.

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 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 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Current understanding of nociplastic pain.

Yoo, Yeong-Min, Kim, Kyung-Hoon·The Korean journal of pain·2024

This article explains 'nociplastic pain'—a type of chronic pain that occurs when the nervous system becomes overly sensitive to pain signals, even when there is no obvious tissue damage or nerve injury. People with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and similar conditions often experience this kind of pain. The article describes how doctors can recognize nociplastic pain and groups it with other conditions that share this same underlying mechanism of nervous system sensitivity.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

SEMIPARAMETRIC BIVARIATE HIERARCHICAL STATE SPACE MODEL WITH APPLICATION TO HORMONE CIRCADIAN RELATIONSHIP.

You, Mengying, Guo, Wensheng·The annals of applied statistics·2024

This study looked at two stress hormones—ACTH and cortisol—in people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia compared to healthy controls. Using a new mathematical method to track these hormones over time, researchers found that healthy people show a normal daily rhythm in how these hormones work together, while patients with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia show an irregular, unpredictable pattern instead.

Endocrine Disruption

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 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 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 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 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

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Creatine Supplementation Beyond Athletics: Benefits of Different Types of Creatine for Women, Vegans, and Clinical Populations-A Narrative Review.

Gutiérrez-Hellín, Jorge, Del Coso, Juan, Franco-Andrés, Arturo et al.·Nutrients·2024

This review article examines how creatine, a natural substance that helps muscles produce energy, might help people beyond just athletes. The authors suggest creatine supplementation could reduce fatigue in women during certain phases of their menstrual cycle, help vegans and vegetarians compensate for lower creatine from their diet, and potentially support people with chronic fatigue syndrome, muscle loss, and other health conditions by improving how their cells produce energy.

Energy Metabolism

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Evidence browser

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.

Designing and optimizing clinical trials for long COVID.

Sex differences in vascular endothelial function related to acute and long COVID-19.

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.

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.

Current understanding of nociplastic pain.

SEMIPARAMETRIC BIVARIATE HIERARCHICAL STATE SPACE MODEL WITH APPLICATION TO HORMONE CIRCADIAN RELATIONSHIP.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Creatine Supplementation Beyond Athletics: Benefits of Different Types of Creatine for Women, Vegans, and Clinical Populations-A Narrative Review.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research