ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1281–1300 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

The economic burden of long COVID in Australia: more noise than signal?

Angeles, Mary Rose, Dinh, Thi Thu Ngan, Zhao, Ting et al.·The Medical journal of Australia·2024

This Australian study looked at how many people have long COVID and how much it costs the economy. Researchers estimated that between 40,000 and 145,000 Australians were severely affected by long COVID in late 2022, costing the economy between $1.7 and $6.3 billion. The study found that tens of thousands of working-age Australians reported being unable to work due to long-term sickness, though Australia doesn't yet have good tracking systems to measure long COVID's true impact.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Post‑recovery symptoms of infected cases after Omicron pandemic: a quick online cross-sectional study based on C19-YRSm in China.

Ye, Xiao-Lei, Zhang, Ying, Dai, Xin-Hua et al.·BMC public health·2024

This study surveyed 753 Chinese residents who had been infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 to understand what symptoms they experienced during recovery. Researchers found that nearly half reported persistent breathlessness and cognitive problems (trouble thinking clearly), while about one-third experienced fatigue that didn't improve with rest, anxiety, or pain. Most people recovered within four months, and less than 10% reported serious difficulties with daily activities.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredLongitudinal

Cognitive assessment in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a cognitive substudy of the multi-site clinical assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM).

Lange, Gudrun, Lin, Jin-Mann S, Chen, Yang et al.·Frontiers in neuroscience·2024

This study tested cognitive function (thinking and memory skills) in 261 people with ME/CFS and 165 healthy people using a computer-based screening test. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS process information more slowly than healthy people, but their accuracy was similar. Importantly, a single intense exercise test did not make cognitive problems worse, though the full clinic visit itself did cause some cognitive decline in both groups.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Association of physical symptoms with accelerometer-measured movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID.

Rosa-Souza, Francisco José, Freire, Yuri Alberto, Galliano, Leony Morgana et al.·Scientific reports·2024

This study looked at 102 people with Long COVID to understand how specific symptoms affect their ability to move and be physically active. Researchers used activity trackers to measure daily movement and tested how far people could walk and how quickly they could stand up from a chair. They found that fatigue and post-exertional malaise (feeling worse after activity) were linked to lower daily step counts, while shortness of breath was linked to poorer performance on physical tests.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Psychometric evaluation of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-Short Form (DSQ-SF) among adults with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and healthy controls: A machine learning approach.

McGarrigle, William J, Furst, Jacob, Jason, Leonard A·Journal of health psychology·2024

Researchers tested whether a symptom questionnaire called the DSQ-SF can accurately identify and distinguish between Long COVID, ME/CFS, and healthy people. Using computer algorithms to analyze the results, they found the questionnaire works well at telling these groups apart and identified which specific symptoms are most helpful for telling Long COVID and ME/CFS apart from each other and from normal health.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Similar Patterns of Dysautonomia in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue and Post-COVID-19 Syndromes.

Ryabkova, Varvara A, Rubinskiy, Artemiy V, Marchenko, Valeriy N et al.·Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology·2024

This study found that people with ME/CFS and those with long COVID have similar problems with how their autonomic nervous system (the system that controls heart rate, blood pressure, and other automatic body functions) works. Researchers measured heart rate variability and blood pressure patterns in 34 ME/CFS patients, 29 long COVID patients, and 32 healthy controls. Both patient groups showed reduced autonomic function compared to healthy people, and these problems were linked to their fatigue—but not to depression or anxiety.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Association between fatigue, peripheral serotonin, and L-carnitine in hypothyroidism and in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Raij, Tommi, Raij, Kari·Frontiers in endocrinology·2024

This study examined whether a supplement called L-carnitine could help reduce fatigue by increasing serotonin levels in the blood. Researchers tracked 12 people with ME/CFS and 40 people with hypothyroidism who were experiencing fatigue, measuring their serotonin and fatigue levels before and after taking L-carnitine for 7 weeks. They found that L-carnitine increased serotonin levels significantly and fatigue decreased by about half in both groups, suggesting a possible connection between low serotonin and fatigue.

BiomarkersEnergy Metabolism

E2 ModerateDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Optimizing Exclusion Criteria for Clinical Trials of Persistent Lyme Disease Using Real-World Data.

Johnson, Lorraine, Shapiro, Mira, Needell, Deanna et al.·Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

This study looked at the rules that researchers use to decide who can join clinical trials for persistent Lyme disease (PLD). The researchers found that current rules exclude about 90% of patients, making it very hard to find enough people for studies. By relaxing some of these rules—especially those that exclude people with coexisting conditions like fibromyalgia or fatigue—researchers could include many more patients (up to 64%) while still conducting valid research.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Mismatch between subjective and objective dysautonomia.

Novak, Peter, Systrom, David M, Marciano, Sadie P et al.·Scientific reports·2024

This study examined whether questionnaires that ask patients about autonomic symptoms (like dizziness, heart racing, or sweating problems) match what doctors find when they perform actual autonomic tests. Researchers studied over 2,600 patients and found a surprising disconnect: questionnaires and actual tests did not correlate with each other, meaning some patients reported severe symptoms but tested normally, while others had significant test abnormalities but reported few symptoms. This finding held true across many conditions, including ME/CFS, suggesting that questionnaires alone cannot reliably detect autonomic problems.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cognitive reserve as a protective factor against cognitive impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Surendran, Gopika, Jose, Tony P·Applied neuropsychology. Adult·2024

This study examined whether people's life experiences and education—called 'cognitive reserve'—help protect them from the thinking and memory problems common in ME/CFS. Researchers tested 91 people with ME/CFS and found that those with more cognitive reserve had fewer cognitive problems. The severity of someone's ME/CFS was the main factor affecting both cognitive reserve and cognitive problems, rather than age or gender.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Development and Validation of the Short Form (JAEN-10) of the Joint Assessment of Equilibrium and Neuromotor Status Scale (JAEN-20).

Peinado-Rubia, Ana Belén, Osuna-Pérez, María Catalina, Núñez-Fuentes, David et al.·Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology·2024

Researchers created a shorter version of a balance and movement test (JAEN-10) to measure physical problems in people with fibromyalgia. The new 10-question test works just as well as the original 20-question version but takes less time to complete, which is helpful for people who get tired easily. The test successfully identified people with fibromyalgia and those at risk of falling.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not required

The influence of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) family history on patients with ME/CFS.

Jason, Leonard A, Ngonmedje, Sarah·Exploration of medicine·2024

This study looked at whether ME/CFS runs in families and if people with ME/CFS who have a family history of the disease are different from those without it. Researchers compared 400 ME/CFS patients with 414 people who had other chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis or post-polio syndrome. They found that ME/CFS is much more common in families (18% of ME/CFS patients had relatives with ME/CFS) compared to the control groups (3.9%), and those with a family history of ME/CFS were more likely to experience stomach and digestive problems.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions in people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): a sample from the Multi-site Clinical Assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM) study.

Fall, Elizabeth A, Chen, Yang, Lin, Jin-Mann S et al.·BMC neurology·2024

This study found that most people with ME/CFS (76%) also experience other chronic pain conditions, such as migraines, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. These overlapping conditions were much more common in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people (only 17% had them). When patients had multiple pain conditions alongside their ME/CFS, their overall symptoms and quality of life were significantly worse, especially for women.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

IgG Antibody Responses to Epstein-Barr Virus in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Their Effective Potential for Disease Diagnosis and Pathological Antigenic Mimicry.

Fonseca, André, Szysz, Mateusz, Ly, Hoang Thien et al.·Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)·2024

Researchers examined immune responses (antibodies) against Epstein-Barr virus in ME/CFS patients to see if these could be used to diagnose the condition. They found that a specific set of 26 antibodies could reliably identify ME/CFS patients whose illness started after an infection, but these antibodies don't appear to explain why the autoimmune problems occur. The findings suggest that while these antibodies might be useful for diagnosis in some patients, they may not be the root cause of ME/CFS.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Impact on Quality of Life (QoL) of Persons with ME/CFS.

Muirhead, Nina L, Vyas, Jui, Ephgrave, Rachel et al.·Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)·2024

This study surveyed 876 people with ME/CFS from 26 countries to understand how the condition affects their daily lives. People with ME/CFS reported very poor quality of life, with an average health rating of 36 out of 100. The most common problems were difficulty doing everyday activities (97%), pain (92%), and trouble with movement (83%).

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Impaired Hand Grip Strength Correlates with Greater Disability and Symptom Severity in Post-COVID Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Paffrath, Anna, Kim, Laura, Kedor, Claudia et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

Researchers tested hand grip strength in 144 women with long-COVID symptoms, comparing those who met strict ME/CFS criteria (78 patients) with those who had other long-COVID symptoms. People with ME/CFS showed weaker grip strength and more severe disability, fatigue, and symptom worsening after activity compared to other long-COVID patients. Weak grip strength appeared to be connected to the core symptoms that define ME/CFS, suggesting muscle weakness in ME/CFS may share a common cause with other hallmark symptoms.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Resonant breathing improves self-reported symptoms and wellbeing in people with Long COVID.

Polizzi, Jessica, Tosto-Mancuso, Jenna, Tabacof, Laura et al.·Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences·2024

This study looked at whether slow, controlled breathing (called resonant breathing) could help people with Long COVID feel better. Ninety-nine people with Long COVID tried a resonant breathing program and reported their symptoms before and after. Most people said they felt better overall, especially in areas like stress control, focus, breathing ability, and sleep quality.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome.

Güttes, Moritz, Lucio, Marianna, Skornia, Adam et al.·Scientific reports·2024

Researchers tested whether people with Post-COVID syndrome have slower reaction times when responding to visual stimuli shown in virtual reality glasses. They found that Post-COVID patients were indeed slower and less accurate at this task compared to healthy controls, suggesting this test might be a useful tool for identifying Post-COVID cognitive problems in the future.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Overlapping conditions in Long COVID at a multisite academic center.

Grach, Stephanie L, Dudenkov, Daniel V, Pollack, Beth et al.·Frontiers in neurology·2024

This study looked at 247 patients with Long COVID who visited Mayo Clinic to see what new health problems developed after their COVID-19 infection. Researchers compared them to 40 people who had COVID-19 but recovered normally. The results showed that Long COVID patients experienced much higher rates of pain, neurological symptoms, sleep problems, and other issues. Importantly, 58% of Long COVID patients screened positive for ME/CFS—a serious fatigue and post-exertional symptom condition—compared to none of the control group.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Prevalence and determinants of post-acute sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long COVID) among adults in Mexico during 2022: a retrospective analysis of nationally representative data.

Bello-Chavolla, Omar Yaxmehen, Fermín-Martínez, Carlos A, Ramírez-García, Daniel et al.·Lancet regional health. Americas·2024

This study looked at how many adults in Mexico experienced long-lasting symptoms after COVID-19 infection in 2022. Researchers found that about 1 in 5 people who had COVID-19 reported ongoing problems like fatigue, muscle pain, brain fog, and loss of taste or smell. The study showed that people who caught COVID-19 multiple times, had depression, or lived in poorer areas were more likely to develop these long-term symptoms, while vaccination and infection with newer variants reduced risk.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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The economic burden of long COVID in Australia: more noise than signal?

Post‑recovery symptoms of infected cases after Omicron pandemic: a quick online cross-sectional study based on C19-YRSm in China.

Cognitive assessment in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a cognitive substudy of the multi-site clinical assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM).

Association of physical symptoms with accelerometer-measured movement behaviors and functional capacity in individuals with Long COVID.

Psychometric evaluation of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-Short Form (DSQ-SF) among adults with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and healthy controls: A machine learning approach.

Similar Patterns of Dysautonomia in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue and Post-COVID-19 Syndromes.

Association between fatigue, peripheral serotonin, and L-carnitine in hypothyroidism and in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Optimizing Exclusion Criteria for Clinical Trials of Persistent Lyme Disease Using Real-World Data.

Mismatch between subjective and objective dysautonomia.

Cognitive reserve as a protective factor against cognitive impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Development and Validation of the Short Form (JAEN-10) of the Joint Assessment of Equilibrium and Neuromotor Status Scale (JAEN-20).

The influence of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) family history on patients with ME/CFS.

Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions in people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): a sample from the Multi-site Clinical Assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM) study.

IgG Antibody Responses to Epstein-Barr Virus in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Their Effective Potential for Disease Diagnosis and Pathological Antigenic Mimicry.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Impact on Quality of Life (QoL) of Persons with ME/CFS.

Impaired Hand Grip Strength Correlates with Greater Disability and Symptom Severity in Post-COVID Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Resonant breathing improves self-reported symptoms and wellbeing in people with Long COVID.

A case-control study of reaction time deficits in a 3D virtual reality in patients with Post-COVID syndrome.

Overlapping conditions in Long COVID at a multisite academic center.

Prevalence and determinants of post-acute sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long COVID) among adults in Mexico during 2022: a retrospective analysis of nationally representative data.

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