ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2420 studies

901–920 of 2,420 studies

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Sympathetic neural hyperalgesia edema syndrome as a cause of autoimmune hearing loss.

Check, J H·Clinical and experimental obstetrics & gynecology·2017

This case study describes one woman with ME/CFS, pelvic pain, and diarrhea who was given the stimulant medication dextroamphetamine to help with fertility. Unexpectedly, not only did her ME/CFS symptoms improve, but her hearing loss—which had not responded to months of steroid treatment—also significantly improved, as confirmed by hearing tests.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearObservational

A qualitative investigation of eating difficulties in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Harris, Sarah, Gilbert, Matthew, Beasant, Lucy et al.·Clinical child psychology and psychiatry·2017

This study looked at why some teenagers with ME/CFS have trouble eating. Researchers interviewed 11 teenagers and found that eating difficulties were caused by stomach symptoms, fatigue making it hard to eat, and changes in how food tasted or smelled. These eating problems affected their weight, energy levels, mood, and family life. The teenagers found that changing what they ate, family support, and medical help (like medications) were helpful.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Impaired calcium mobilization in natural killer cells from chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients is associated with transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels.

Nguyen, T, Johnston, S, Clarke, L et al.·Clinical and experimental immunology·2017

This study examined immune cells called natural killer cells in ME/CFS patients and healthy people to understand how calcium moves in and out of these cells. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients have lower levels of a specific channel (TRPM3) that helps control calcium movement in certain types of natural killer cells. The study suggests that problems with calcium signaling in these immune cells may contribute to how the immune system behaves differently in ME/CFS patients.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

The interface between chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: A psychobiological and neurophysiological conundrum.

Larkin, Derek, Martin, Colin R·Neurophysiologie clinique = Clinical neurophysiology·2017

Many people with ME/CFS experience depression alongside their physical symptoms, but it's unclear whether depression causes the fatigue, results from it, or whether they share common underlying biological causes. This paper reviews what we know about the connection between ME/CFS and depression, examining possible explanations from brain function, immune system activity, and psychological factors. Understanding this relationship better could help doctors develop more effective treatments that address both the fatigue and mood symptoms.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

[Environmental medical syndromes].

Wiesmüller, Gerhard A, Hornberg, Claudia·Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz·2017

This editorial discusses several conditions that seem related to environmental exposures and stress, including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivities. The authors explain that we don't yet fully understand what causes these conditions or how to diagnose and treat them properly. They emphasize that doctors should take patients seriously and help them even while research continues to find answers.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Chronic fatigue in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome-Hypermobile type.

Hakim, Alan, De Wandele, Inge, O'Callaghan, Chris et al.·American journal of medical genetics. Part C, Seminars in medical genetics·2017

Chronic fatigue is common in people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder, and can significantly reduce quality of life. This review explains that EDS and ME/CFS share similar symptoms, and some people diagnosed with ME/CFS may actually have undiagnosed EDS. Treatment requires ruling out common causes of fatigue like anemia and thyroid problems, then addressing EDS-specific issues like sleep problems, pain, heart rhythm problems, and physical deconditioning through a combination of symptom management, physical therapy, and supportive care.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Emotional conflict processing in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome: A pilot study using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Wortinger, Laura Anne, Endestad, Tor, Melinder, Annika Maria D et al.·Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology·2017

This study looked at how the brains of teenagers with ME/CFS process emotions and handle conflicting information. Researchers used brain imaging to watch what happened when young people with ME/CFS and healthy teenagers tried to identify emotions in faces while being distracted by conflicting words. Teenagers with ME/CFS showed weaker brain responses in areas that handle emotions and decision-making, and their brain activity was linked to how severe their fatigue was.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Cellular bioenergetics is impaired in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Tomas, Cara, Brown, Audrey, Strassheim, Victoria et al.·PloS one·2017

This study examined how cells in ME/CFS patients produce energy differently than in healthy people. Researchers tested immune cells from patients and found that when these cells are under stress, they cannot ramp up their energy production as much as healthy cells can. This suggests that ME/CFS patients' cells may struggle to meet energy demands, especially during periods of physical or mental exertion.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Frontline Temporomandibular Joint/Orofacial Pain Therapy for Every Dental Practice.

Germain, Lisa, Malcmacher, Louis·Compendium of continuing education in dentistry (Jamesburg, N.J. : 1995)·2017

This article explains how dentists can help patients with temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) and orofacial pain using straightforward, conservative treatment approaches. The authors note that jaw pain often occurs alongside other pain conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and suggest that dentists with proper training can be a first line of care for these patients.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM requiredGuideline

Myalgic encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria.

Journal of internal medicine·2017

This guideline establishes internationally agreed-upon criteria for diagnosing ME/CFS, helping doctors around the world recognize the condition consistently. It brings together expert knowledge to create clear standards for who has ME/CFS based on symptoms like post-exertional malaise (worsening after activity), sleep problems, cognitive difficulties, and pain. Having a shared definition makes it easier for patients to get accurate diagnoses and for researchers to study the same condition across different countries.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Life according to ME: Caught in the ebb-tide.

Lian, Olaug S, Rapport, Frances·Health (London, England : 1997)·2016

This study asked 10 people with ME in Norway to share stories and photos about places where their illness felt better or worse. The researchers found that people with ME carefully balance activity and rest, and they seek out peaceful places (usually home) to recover while avoiding places that drain their energy. The study shows how the physical and emotional qualities of different environments directly affect how people experience and manage their ME.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The Neuro-Immune Pathophysiology of Central and Peripheral Fatigue in Systemic Immune-Inflammatory and Neuro-Immune Diseases.

Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Galecki, Piotr et al.·Molecular neurobiology·2016

This review examines why people with ME/CFS and similar immune-based illnesses experience severe, disabling fatigue. The authors identify multiple biological pathways that may contribute to this fatigue, including excessive inflammation, problems with how cells produce energy, and chemical imbalances in the brain and muscles. The fatigue appears to result from a complex interaction between the immune system, energy production, and brain function rather than a single cause.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Coxiella burnetii dormancy in a fatal ten-year multisystem dysfunctional illness: case report.

Sukocheva, Olga A, Manavis, Jim, Kok, Tuck-Weng et al.·BMC infectious diseases·2016

This case report describes a young woman who developed severe, long-lasting illness after a Q fever infection and died 10 years later. After her death, researchers examined her tissues and found pieces of the bacteria (Coxiella burnetii) and its DNA still present in multiple organs, including her brain, heart, lungs, and spleen. This suggests that Q fever bacteria can persist in the body in a dormant or inactive form, potentially triggering ongoing illness.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Human herpesvirus 6 and 7 are biomarkers for fatigue, which distinguish between physiological fatigue and pathological fatigue.

Aoki, Ryo, Kobayashi, Nobuyuki, Suzuki, Go et al.·Biochemical and biophysical research communications·2016

This study looked at whether two common viruses (HHV-6 and HHV-7) in saliva could help doctors tell the difference between normal tiredness and the severe, long-lasting fatigue seen in conditions like ME/CFS. The researchers found that these viruses increased in saliva when people were physically stressed or tired from work, then quickly decreased with rest. Importantly, these viruses did NOT increase in people with ME/CFS, sleep apnea, or depression, suggesting they might be useful markers for normal fatigue but not pathological fatigue.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Dysregulation of Protein Kinase Gene Expression in NK Cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients.

Chacko, Anu, Staines, Donald R, Johnston, Samantha C et al.·Gene regulation and systems biology·2016

This study looked at immune cells called NK cells in people with ME/CFS to understand why they don't work properly. Researchers examined the activity of hundreds of genes that control how these immune cells function and found that many genes were turned on or off abnormally in severely ill patients compared to healthy people. This suggests that problems with how these genes are regulated may explain why NK cells cannot fight infections effectively in ME/CFS.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Potential use of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy for the analysis and diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (Review).

Sakudo, Akikazu·Molecular medicine reports·2016

This review examines whether a special type of light-based scanning called visible and near-infrared spectroscopy could help diagnose ME/CFS objectively. Currently, doctors diagnose ME/CFS only by listening to patient symptoms, with no blood test or physical measurement available. Researchers found that this light-scanning technique can detect differences in blood samples and thumb tissue between people with ME/CFS and healthy people, suggesting it might identify biological markers of the disease.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Aluminum adjuvants of vaccines injected into the muscle: Normal fate, pathology and associated disease.

Gherardi, R K, Aouizerate, J, Cadusseau, J et al.·Morphologie : bulletin de l'Association des anatomistes·2016

This study reviews how aluminum compounds used in vaccines are processed by the body and whether they might cause long-term health problems. The researchers found that aluminum can persist in the body for extended periods, accumulate in organs, and in some cases may be associated with muscle pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties—a condition called macrophagic myofasciitis. The authors suggest that the long-term safety of aluminum-containing vaccines needs more careful examination.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

MicroRNAs hsa-miR-99b, hsa-miR-330, hsa-miR-126 and hsa-miR-30c: Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers in Natural Killer (NK) Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).

Petty, Robert D, McCarthy, Neil E, Le Dieu, Rifca et al.·PloS one·2016

This study examined tiny molecules called microRNAs in immune cells from ME/CFS patients and healthy people. Researchers found that four specific microRNAs were abnormally high in patients' blood, particularly in natural killer (NK) immune cells. When they tested these microRNAs in the lab, they found they affected how NK cells work, suggesting this might contribute to ME/CFS symptoms.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Investigation of the effects of vanilloids in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sarvaiya, Kuldeep, Goswami, Sunita·Brain research bulletin·2016

This study tested whether compounds that affect a pain-sensing protein called TRPV1 could help reduce fatigue and related symptoms in an animal model of ME/CFS. Rats that were stressed through repeated swimming showed improvements in fatigue, muscle strength, mood, and stress hormone levels when treated with these compounds, suggesting that TRPV1 may play a role in ME/CFS symptoms.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Autoantibody pain.

Goebel, Andreas·Autoimmunity reviews·2016

Your immune system sometimes makes proteins called autoantibodies that attack your own body's tissues and nerves. This review explores how these autoantibodies might cause pain directly by interfering with nerve signals, rather than just causing inflammation. Interestingly, ME/CFS appears to involve this type of autoantibody-related pain mechanism, which could open doors to new treatments for conditions that currently don't respond well to standard pain medications.

Immune System

← Previous Next 20 studies →

Or browse by topic

PEM Immune Neuro Metabolic Biomarkers Severe ME Long COVID Cognitive

Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Sympathetic neural hyperalgesia edema syndrome as a cause of autoimmune hearing loss.

A qualitative investigation of eating difficulties in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Impaired calcium mobilization in natural killer cells from chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients is associated with transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels.

The interface between chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: A psychobiological and neurophysiological conundrum.

[Environmental medical syndromes].

Chronic fatigue in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome-Hypermobile type.

Emotional conflict processing in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome: A pilot study using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Cellular bioenergetics is impaired in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Frontline Temporomandibular Joint/Orofacial Pain Therapy for Every Dental Practice.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria.

Life according to ME: Caught in the ebb-tide.

The Neuro-Immune Pathophysiology of Central and Peripheral Fatigue in Systemic Immune-Inflammatory and Neuro-Immune Diseases.

Coxiella burnetii dormancy in a fatal ten-year multisystem dysfunctional illness: case report.

Human herpesvirus 6 and 7 are biomarkers for fatigue, which distinguish between physiological fatigue and pathological fatigue.

Dysregulation of Protein Kinase Gene Expression in NK Cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients.

Potential use of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy for the analysis and diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (Review).

Aluminum adjuvants of vaccines injected into the muscle: Normal fate, pathology and associated disease.

MicroRNAs hsa-miR-99b, hsa-miR-330, hsa-miR-126 and hsa-miR-30c: Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers in Natural Killer (NK) Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).

Investigation of the effects of vanilloids in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Autoantibody pain.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research