ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1121–1140 of 6,157 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Development and validation of blood-based diagnostic biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) using EpiSwitch® 3-dimensional genomic regulatory immuno-genetic profiling.

Hunter, Ewan, Alshaker, Heba, Bundock, Oliver et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2025

Researchers developed a new blood test called EpiSwitch®CFS that may help diagnose ME/CFS by detecting specific patterns in how DNA is organized in blood cells. When tested on stored blood samples from 47 ME/CFS patients and 61 healthy people, the test correctly identified 92% of ME/CFS patients and correctly ruled out 98% of healthy controls. This could potentially help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more reliably, since there is currently no standard blood test for the condition.

NeuroinflammationBiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Deep sequencing of BCR heavy chain repertoires in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ryback, Audrey A, Cowan, Graeme J M·Frontiers in immunology·2025

This study examined immune system cells called B cells in people with ME/CFS to see if the disease might be caused by chronic infections or autoimmune problems. Researchers compared blood samples from 25 patients with mild/moderate ME/CFS, 36 with severe ME/CFS, healthy people, and people with multiple sclerosis. They found that ME/CFS patients' B cells did not show the typical patterns expected if chronic infection or autoimmunity were the main cause, though they did notice a difference in the balance of certain antibody types in milder cases.

Severe MEImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Hippocampal subfield volume alterations and associations with severity measures in long COVID and ME/CFS: A 7T MRI study.

Thapaliya, Kiran, Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie et al.·PloS one·2025

Researchers used advanced brain imaging to compare a part of the brain called the hippocampus in long COVID patients, ME/CFS patients, and healthy people. They found that certain areas of the hippocampus were larger in both patient groups compared to healthy controls, and these size differences were linked to how severe symptoms like fatigue, pain, and memory problems were. This suggests that changes in brain structure might explain some of the cognitive difficulties these patients experience.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

People with Long COVID and ME/CFS Exhibit Similarly Impaired Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination: A Case-Case-Control Study.

Sanal-Hayes, Nilihan E M, Hayes, Lawrence D, Mclaughlin, Marie et al.·The American journal of medicine·2025

This study tested hand coordination and fine motor skills in people with long COVID and ME/CFS using a simple pegboard task where participants place small pegs into holes as quickly and accurately as possible. Both patient groups performed similarly to each other but notably worse than healthy people, suggesting that problems with hand coordination and dexterity are common to both conditions. The findings highlight that these motor difficulties deserve specific medical attention and treatment in both long COVID and ME/CFS patients.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredObservational

Efficacy of repeated immunoadsorption in patients with post-COVID myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and elevated β2-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies: a prospective cohort study.

Stein, Elisa, Heindrich, Cornelia, Wittke, Kirsten et al.·The Lancet regional health. Europe·2025

This study tested a blood-filtering treatment called immunoadsorption in 20 patients with post-COVID ME/CFS who had specific autoantibodies (immune proteins attacking their own bodies). After five treatment sessions, 70% of patients improved, with better physical function, reduced fatigue, and less post-exertional malaise lasting at least six months. The treatment removed harmful immune proteins from the blood and was generally well tolerated.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome using beat-to-beat autonomic measurements.

Kujawski, Sławomir, Tabisz, Hanna, Morten, Karl J et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2025

Researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze how the heart and nervous system behave differently in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. By measuring heart rate changes beat-by-beat, they found a pattern that could identify ME/CFS patients with 89% accuracy. The key differences included a less responsive vagal nerve (which normally calms the body), a more active stress response in blood vessels, and less efficient heart pumping.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia while defining a novel nosologic entity.

Giménez-Orenga, Karen, Martín-Martínez, Eva, Nathanson, Lubov et al.·eLife·2025

This study looked at special genetic materials called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in the blood cells of women with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, both conditions, or neither. The researchers found that the pattern of which HERVs were active could perfectly distinguish between these four groups—suggesting this could become a reliable blood test to diagnose these conditions. The study also found that ME/CFS patients had specific changes in immune cells that matched how severe their symptoms were.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Provocation of brachial plexus and systemic symptoms during the elevated arm stress test in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or idiopathic chronic fatigue.

Edwards, Charles C, Byrnes, Julia M, Broussard, Camille A et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2025

Researchers tested whether a simple arm position exercise (holding arms overhead and opening/closing fists) could trigger symptoms in ME/CFS patients who struggle with overhead activities. They found that nearly all patients (97%) developed arm symptoms like pain, numbness, or heaviness during the test, and 41% also experienced whole-body symptoms like dizziness, brain fog, or a racing heart. This suggests that some ME/CFS patients may have nerve compression issues in their shoulders or neck that worsen with certain arm positions.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Depressive and anxiety symptoms in current, previous, and no history of ME/CFS: NHIS 2022 analysis.

Sirotiak, Zoe, Adamowicz, Jenna L, Thomas, Emily B K·Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2025

This study looked at anxiety and depression in people with ME/CFS using data from a large U.S. health survey. Researchers found that people currently living with ME/CFS reported much higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to people without ME/CFS. Interestingly, people who previously had ME/CFS but have since recovered still reported higher anxiety and depression rates than those who never had the illness, though the rates were lower than for those with current ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Nonpelvic comorbid symptoms of 45 patients with pain of pelvic venous origin, before and after treatment.

Smith, Steven J, Smith, B Holly, Sichlau, Michael J et al.·Phlebology·2025

This study looked at 45 women with chronic pelvic pain caused by abnormal blood pooling in pelvic veins. These patients experienced many symptoms beyond pelvic pain—including brain fog, fatigue, migraines, constipation, and anxiety. After receiving a catheter-based procedure to fix the blood pooling, most of these systemic symptoms improved significantly (by 50% or more).

Pain and SensitizationAutonomic Nervous SystemCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Familial coaggregation and shared familiality of functional and internalizing disorders in the Lifelines cohort.

Bos, Martje, Monden, Rei, Wray, Naomi R et al.·Psychological medicine·2025

This study looked at whether ME/CFS, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia run in families, and whether they share common causes with depression and anxiety disorders. Researchers studied over 150,000 people in the Netherlands and found that these conditions do tend to cluster in families—if a relative has one of these conditions, your risk of having it is higher. ME/CFS showed the strongest family connection and was most closely linked to depression.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic overlapping pain conditions in individuals with active opioid use disorder: a descriptive study of syringe program participants.

Rausch, Johnathan, Harte, Steven E, Williams, David A et al.·Journal of addictive diseases·2025

This study looked at how often chronic pain conditions occur together in people struggling with opioid addiction. Researchers found that people with opioid use disorder have much higher rates of several overlapping pain conditions—including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, chronic migraines, and chronic back pain—than would be expected in the general population. Understanding this connection may help doctors treat both the pain and addiction more effectively.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Functional and internalizing disorders co-aggregate with cardiometabolic and immune-related diseases within families: a population-based cohort study.

Steen, Olivier D, Bos, Martje, van Ockenburg, Sonja L et al.·BMC medicine·2025

This study found that ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome tend to run in families alongside conditions like depression, anxiety, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disorders. Researchers analyzed data from over 166,000 people in a Dutch population cohort to understand whether these conditions share common inherited risk factors. The findings suggest that the causes of functional disorders like ME/CFS may overlap with the causes of immune and metabolic diseases, which could point to new treatment approaches.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Understanding symptom clusters, diagnosis and healthcare experiences in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID: a cross-sectional survey in the UK.

Mansoubi, Maedeh, Richards, Thomas, Ainsworth-Wells, Martine et al.·BMJ open·2025

This large UK survey asked over 8,800 people with ME/CFS or long COVID about their symptoms and experiences with healthcare. The study found that fatigue, brain fog, pain, and sleep problems are the most common symptoms, but people often wait years for a diagnosis. Even after new healthcare guidelines were introduced, most patients said they weren't satisfied with the care they received from the NHS.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Fatigue-Dominant Long-COVID Subjects: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Lee, Jin-Seok, Choi, Yujin, Joung, Jin-Yong et al.·The American journal of medicine·2025

This study looked at 100 people with long COVID who experience significant ongoing fatigue, similar to ME/CFS. Researchers measured fatigue levels and checked blood levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) and other immune markers. They found that people with lower cortisol levels reported worse fatigue and lower quality of life, suggesting a possible connection between this hormone and fatigue severity.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Autonomic symptom burden, comorbidities and quality of life in women with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Collins Hutchinson, Meagan L, Liang, Emily, Fuster, Emily et al.·Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical·2025

This study looked at 84 women with connective tissue disorders (HSD/h-EDS) to understand how much autonomic nervous system problems they experience and how these affect their quality of life. The researchers found that these women had severe autonomic symptoms, with nearly 60% also having POTS and about 26% having ME/CFS. Overall, their quality of life was significantly worse than patients with other serious conditions like multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and anxiety symptoms due to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis are associated with reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus and Human Herpesvirus 6.

Maes, Michael, Almulla, Abbas F, Vojdani, Elroy et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·2025

This study looked at whether reactivation of two common viruses—Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)—are connected to fatigue, depression, and anxiety in people with a type of multiple sclerosis called RRMS. Researchers measured immune responses (antibodies) to these viruses in MS patients and healthy controls, and found that higher antibody levels were strongly linked to worse fatigue and mood symptoms. The findings suggest that when these dormant viruses become active in the body, they may trigger or worsen fatigue and psychiatric symptoms.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Genetic variants associated with chronic fatigue syndrome predict population-level fatigue severity and actigraphic measurements.

Liu, Patrick Z, Raizen, David M, Skarke, Carsten et al.·Sleep·2025

This study looked at whether the genetic factors that cause ME/CFS also influence fatigue levels in people without ME/CFS. Researchers compared movement patterns and body temperature rhythms in people with ME/CFS versus healthy controls, then checked if genetic variations linked to ME/CFS were also connected to fatigue in the general population. They found that people with ME/CFS showed significantly less movement and flatter daily temperature patterns, and some genetic variants associated with ME/CFS were also linked to fatigue symptoms in the broader population.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Cerebrospinal fluid immune phenotyping reveals distinct immunotypes of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Bastos, Victoria C, Greene, Kerrie A, Tabachnikova, Alexandra et al.·Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)·2025

Researchers studied cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid around the brain and spinal cord) from people with ME/CFS and found that the immune system appears to work differently in different patients. They discovered two distinct patient groups with different immune patterns and pathogen exposure histories, even though both groups had similar symptoms. This suggests that ME/CFS may not be a single disease, but rather several related conditions with different underlying causes.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Leveraging Explainable Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) and Metabolomics for Robust Diagnosis and Pathophysiological Insights in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Yagin, Fatma Hilal, Colak, Cemil, Al-Hashem, Fahaid et al.·Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Researchers used advanced computer learning and blood tests to find chemical markers that could help diagnose ME/CFS. They analyzed 888 different chemicals in blood samples from 106 ME/CFS patients and 91 healthy people, and found a pattern of chemical imbalances that correctly identified ME/CFS patients 87% of the time. The key chemical imbalances involved energy production in cells, inflammation, and gut health—areas that have long been suspected in ME/CFS.

Energy Metabolism

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Development and validation of blood-based diagnostic biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) using EpiSwitch® 3-dimensional genomic regulatory immuno-genetic profiling.

Deep sequencing of BCR heavy chain repertoires in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hippocampal subfield volume alterations and associations with severity measures in long COVID and ME/CFS: A 7T MRI study.

People with Long COVID and ME/CFS Exhibit Similarly Impaired Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination: A Case-Case-Control Study.

Efficacy of repeated immunoadsorption in patients with post-COVID myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and elevated β2-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies: a prospective cohort study.

Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome using beat-to-beat autonomic measurements.

HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia while defining a novel nosologic entity.

Provocation of brachial plexus and systemic symptoms during the elevated arm stress test in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or idiopathic chronic fatigue.

Depressive and anxiety symptoms in current, previous, and no history of ME/CFS: NHIS 2022 analysis.

Nonpelvic comorbid symptoms of 45 patients with pain of pelvic venous origin, before and after treatment.

Familial coaggregation and shared familiality of functional and internalizing disorders in the Lifelines cohort.

Chronic overlapping pain conditions in individuals with active opioid use disorder: a descriptive study of syringe program participants.

Functional and internalizing disorders co-aggregate with cardiometabolic and immune-related diseases within families: a population-based cohort study.

Understanding symptom clusters, diagnosis and healthcare experiences in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID: a cross-sectional survey in the UK.

Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Fatigue-Dominant Long-COVID Subjects: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Autonomic symptom burden, comorbidities and quality of life in women with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and anxiety symptoms due to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis are associated with reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus and Human Herpesvirus 6.

Genetic variants associated with chronic fatigue syndrome predict population-level fatigue severity and actigraphic measurements.

Cerebrospinal fluid immune phenotyping reveals distinct immunotypes of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Leveraging Explainable Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) and Metabolomics for Robust Diagnosis and Pathophysiological Insights in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

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