ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2423 studies

441–460 of 2,423 studies

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Clinical effects of wasabi extract containing 6-MSITC on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an open-label trial.

Oka, Takakazu, Yamada, Yu, Lkhagvasuren, Battuvshin et al.·BioPsychoSocial medicine·2022

Researchers tested whether wasabi extract—specifically a compound called 6-MSITC that has anti-inflammatory properties—could help people with ME/CFS. Fifteen patients took the supplement daily for 12 weeks, and many reported improvements in headaches, muscle pain, brain fog, and cognitive problems like word-finding difficulties. The study found measurable improvements in pain sensitivity and thinking speed, though overall fatigue scores did not change significantly.

Pain and SensitizationCognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryPEM not required

An Unexpected Journey: The Lived Experiences of Patients with Long-Term Cognitive Sequelae After Recovering from COVID-19.

Loft, Mia I, Foged, Eva M, Koreska, Mai·Qualitative health research·2022

This study listened to people who experienced long-lasting thinking and memory problems after recovering from COVID-19. Patients described how these cognitive symptoms disrupted their daily lives, work, and relationships, and left them feeling anxious and uncertain about their future. The researchers suggest that doctors and researchers could learn from how people with similar conditions—like ME/CFS—manage their symptoms while waiting for treatments.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Mechanism of the Huangguoshu waterfall forest environment's promotive effect on human health in Guizhou, China.

Zhu, Zixin, Zhao, Xueke, Ouyang, Qiuyue et al.·Annals of translational medicine·2022

This study looked at whether spending time in a waterfall forest environment in China could help people with ME/CFS feel better. Researchers tracked what participants looked at, measured their fatigue and mood, and checked blood markers for inflammation and antioxidants. They found that people who spent time near the waterfall had less fatigue and depression, lower inflammation, and higher antioxidant levels.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Tissue specific signature of HHV-6 infection in ME/CFS.

Kasimir, Francesca, Toomey, Danny, Liu, Zheng et al.·Frontiers in molecular biosciences·2022

This study looked for signs of active HHV-6 virus (a common herpesvirus) in brain and spinal cord tissue from ME/CFS patients after death, compared to people without ME/CFS. Using a special detection technique, researchers found markers of active viral infection in the nervous tissue of ME/CFS patients but not in the control group. This suggests that HHV-6 may be reactivating specifically in the brain and nervous system in ME/CFS, rather than in the blood where it's usually tested.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Inflammation From Peripheral Organs to the Brain: How Does Systemic Inflammation Cause Neuroinflammation?

Sun, Yuanjie, Koyama, Yoshihisa, Shimada, Shoichi·Frontiers in aging neuroscience·2022

This review explores how inflammation in the body's organs—like the gut, lungs, or joints—can trigger inflammation in the brain. The authors describe several pathways by which this happens, including damage to the protective barrier around the brain, activation of immune cells in the brain, and communication through nerves connecting organs to the brain. ME/CFS is highlighted as one disease where this peripheral-to-brain inflammation mechanism may be important.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications.

Kell, Douglas B, Laubscher, Gert Jacobus, Pretorius, Etheresia·The Biochemical journal·2022

This study suggests that Long COVID may be caused by unusual blood clots called 'fibrin amyloid microclots' that form after COVID-19 infection. These tiny clots may block small blood vessels and reduce oxygen delivery throughout the body, which could explain many Long COVID symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and breathing problems. The researchers found these microclots in Long COVID patients' blood and propose that special blood-thinning treatments might help dissolve them and relieve symptoms.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Unexplained post-acute infection syndromes.

Choutka, Jan, Jansari, Viraj, Hornig, Mady et al.·Nature medicine·2022

This review explains that several different infections—not just COVID-19—can sometimes cause long-lasting illness in some people who recover from the initial infection. These post-infection conditions share similar symptoms and overlap with ME/CFS, suggesting they might have common underlying causes that scientists don't yet understand. The authors argue that researchers need to invest more effort in understanding why and how these mysterious long-term illnesses develop.

Long COVID Overlap

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Possible Application of Melatonin in Long COVID.

Cardinali, Daniel P, Brown, Gregory M, Pandi-Perumal, Seithikurippu R·Biomolecules·2022

This review examines whether melatonin, a natural hormone that regulates sleep, might help people with long COVID who experience symptoms similar to ME/CFS—such as brain fog, fatigue, and muscle pain. Melatonin has several properties that could potentially help: it reduces inflammation, fights harmful molecules in the body, supports immune function, and protects nerve cells. The authors suggest melatonin might be worth studying further as a treatment for the lingering cognitive and pain symptoms some long COVID patients experience.

Pain and SensitizationSleepCognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Differential Impacts of HHV-6A versus HHV-6B Infection in Differentiated Human Neural Stem Cells.

Bahramian, Elham, Furr, Mercede, Wu, Jerry T et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2022

This study examined how two closely related viruses called HHV-6A and HHV-6B infect different types of nerve cells in the brain. Researchers found that both viruses can infect certain brain cells that use glutamate and dopamine (chemical messengers), but neither virus infected a third type of brain cell that uses GABA. Importantly, HHV-6A appeared to cause more damage to infected cells than HHV-6B, suggesting it may be more harmful to nerve tissue.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

[Post-COVID syndrome with fatigue and exercise intolerance: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome].

Renz-Polster, Herbert, Scheibenbogen, Carmen·Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany)·2022

This article explains that ME/CFS is a serious neurological and immune system disease, often triggered by infections like COVID-19, characterized by extreme fatigue lasting at least 6 months and a unique symptom called post-exertional malaise (PEM)—where even mild activity causes symptoms to worsen hours or days later. The authors stress that ME/CFS is a distinct medical condition that should not be confused with ordinary tiredness, and while there is no cure yet, treatment focuses on managing symptoms, addressing related circulation problems, and helping patients conserve energy through pacing.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Proposed subtypes of post-COVID-19 syndrome (or long-COVID) and their respective potential therapies.

Yong, Shin Jie, Liu, Shiliang·Reviews in medical virology·2022

This review examines long COVID (persistent symptoms lasting months after COVID-19 infection) and proposes that it comes in six different subtypes, one of which is ME/CFS-like illness. The authors describe the symptoms and potential treatments for each subtype, helping doctors and patients better understand which type of long COVID a person might have. This framework could help lead to more targeted treatments since different subtypes may need different approaches.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Stress, Asthenia, and Cognitive Disorders.

Vasenina, E E, Gankina, O A, Levin, O S·Neuroscience and behavioral physiology·2022

This article explores the connection between extreme tiredness (asthenia), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and problems with thinking and mood. The authors explain that fatigue can start as your body's way of protecting itself when energy is running low, but it can develop into a serious condition that affects quality of life. They discuss how ME/CFS often appears alongside cognitive difficulties and mood changes, which can make diagnosis confusing.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Estimating total morbidity burden of COVID-19: relative importance of death and disability.

Smith, Maia P·Journal of clinical epidemiology·2022

This study looked at the total health impact of COVID-19 by measuring not just deaths, but also the years of healthy life lost due to long-COVID symptoms. The researchers found that most of the burden from COVID-19 actually comes from people who survive but live with ongoing disability—not from deaths alone. The study suggests that resources should focus on preventing and treating long-COVID, especially in younger people and women who appear to bear a larger share of this burden.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

[Facts and myths about chronic fatigue syndrome].

Fink, Per, Skjernov, Mathias, Petersen, Line Kirkeby et al.·Ugeskrift for laeger·2022

This article discusses updates to ME/CFS treatment guidelines and challenges some common beliefs about the condition. The authors argue that new guidelines recommend against intense exercise programs for severely ill patients and suggest energy management instead, but they question whether the evidence supporting these changes was properly evaluated. They raise concerns about how the new guidelines were developed and what type of evidence was considered.

Severe MEPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclear

Erratum: The Gut Microbiome in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

Frontiers Production Office·Frontiers in immunology·2022

This is a correction notice to a previously published research article about gut bacteria and ME/CFS. The original article examined how the composition of bacteria in the digestive system might be different in people with ME/CFS and what role this might play in the condition. This erratum document updates or corrects information from that earlier publication.

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

'A life I can cope with'. An alternative model of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for CFS/ME.

Clark, Catherine, Holttum, Sue·Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy·2022

This study looked at a different approach to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for ME/CFS that focuses on helping people manage and cope with their condition, rather than pushing them to do more activity. Researchers interviewed 13 people who tried this type of CBT and found that patients felt better able to handle their illness and felt less distressed, even when their fatigue didn't improve much. This suggests that CBT can help people feel more in control and emotionally better, separately from whether the fatigue itself gets better.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

[Treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome from yangming meridian].

Xue, Kai-Yang, Cui, Jin·Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion·2022

This paper discusses a traditional Chinese medicine approach to treating ME/CFS by focusing on the yangming meridian (energy pathways in the body). The authors propose that ME/CFS is connected to the brain and digestive system and suggest using Chinese herbal medicine combined with acupuncture might help by clearing heat, reducing inflammation, improving energy flow, and strengthening the body.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

[Fatigue Doesn't Always have to be caused by SARS-CoV-2: Case Report].

Howanietz, Helmuth, Graf, Ulrike, Kainz, Theresa·Padiatrie und Padologie·2022

This case report describes a 17-year-old girl who experienced severe fatigue caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, commonly known as infectious mononucleosis. The authors highlight that fatigue in young people can come from many different causes, not just COVID-19, and that it's important to identify the correct cause. Notably, about 13.5% of people who have EBV infection go on to develop ME/CFS, making proper diagnosis essential.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Phenotypic characteristics of peripheral immune cells of Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome via transmission electron microscopy: A pilot study.

Jahanbani, Fereshteh, Maynard, Rajan D, Sing, Justin Cyril et al.·PloS one·2022

Researchers used a powerful microscope to examine immune cells from people with ME/CFS and found several abnormalities. They observed that immune cells from ME/CFS patients died more frequently when activated, had swollen energy-producing structures (mitochondria), and in one severely ill patient, contained unusual fat-like accumulations. These cellular changes suggest that ME/CFS involves real, measurable damage to immune system function.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Muscle sodium content in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Petter, Elisabeth, Scheibenbogen, Carmen, Linz, Peter et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2022

Researchers used a special type of MRI scan to measure sodium levels in the leg muscles of ME/CFS patients and healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients had higher sodium buildup in their muscles both at rest and after exercise, and this sodium overload was linked to weaker grip strength. This suggests that muscles in ME/CFS may not be handling sodium properly, which could contribute to fatigue and muscle pain.

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Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Clinical effects of wasabi extract containing 6-MSITC on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an open-label trial.

An Unexpected Journey: The Lived Experiences of Patients with Long-Term Cognitive Sequelae After Recovering from COVID-19.

Mechanism of the Huangguoshu waterfall forest environment's promotive effect on human health in Guizhou, China.

Tissue specific signature of HHV-6 infection in ME/CFS.

Inflammation From Peripheral Organs to the Brain: How Does Systemic Inflammation Cause Neuroinflammation?

A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications.

Unexplained post-acute infection syndromes.

Possible Application of Melatonin in Long COVID.

Differential Impacts of HHV-6A versus HHV-6B Infection in Differentiated Human Neural Stem Cells.

[Post-COVID syndrome with fatigue and exercise intolerance: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome].

Proposed subtypes of post-COVID-19 syndrome (or long-COVID) and their respective potential therapies.

Stress, Asthenia, and Cognitive Disorders.

Estimating total morbidity burden of COVID-19: relative importance of death and disability.

[Facts and myths about chronic fatigue syndrome].

Erratum: The Gut Microbiome in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

'A life I can cope with'. An alternative model of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for CFS/ME.

[Treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome from yangming meridian].

[Fatigue Doesn't Always have to be caused by SARS-CoV-2: Case Report].

Phenotypic characteristics of peripheral immune cells of Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome via transmission electron microscopy: A pilot study.

Muscle sodium content in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research