ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

181–200 of 280 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Melatonin levels in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Korszun, A, Sackett-Lundeen, L, Papadopoulos, E et al.·The Journal of rheumatology·1999

This study looked at melatonin—a hormone that helps control sleep and daily rhythms—in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Researchers collected blood samples every 10 minutes over 24 hours and found that women with fibromyalgia had higher melatonin levels at night compared to healthy controls, but women with chronic fatigue syndrome did not. The authors concluded there is no evidence that taking melatonin supplements would help these patients.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearLongitudinal

Prognostic factors for persons with idiopathic chronic fatigue.

Hartz, A J, Kuhn, E M, Bentler, S E et al.·Archives of family medicine·1999

This study followed 199 people with chronic fatigue for 2 years to understand which factors predicted who would improve. Researchers found that people who had clearer thinking, fewer additional symptoms, better sleep patterns, and were married tended to show the most improvement in fatigue. Interestingly, when patients improved in other symptoms like depression, muscle pain, or sleep problems, their fatigue also tended to improve together.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome and seasonal affective disorder: comorbidity, diagnostic overlap, and implications for treatment.

Terman, M, Levine, S M, Terman, J S et al.·The American journal of medicine·1998

This study looked at whether ME/CFS symptoms get worse during winter months, similar to seasonal depression. Researchers asked 110 ME/CFS patients about their symptoms in summer and winter, and found that about one-third showed a seasonal pattern with winter worsening. This suggests that some ME/CFS patients might benefit from light therapy, a treatment commonly used for seasonal depression.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Correlations among Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, multiple sleep latency tests and psychological symptoms.

Olson, L G, Cole, M F, Ambrogetti, A·Journal of sleep research·1998

This study looked at whether a simple questionnaire about daytime sleepiness (the Epworth Sleepiness Scale) actually measures the same thing as a more complex sleep test that measures how quickly people fall asleep. The researchers found that these two tests don't measure the same thing—the questionnaire is influenced by mood and psychological symptoms, while the objective sleep test is not.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Lack of seasonal variation of symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

García-Borreguero, D, Dale, J K, Rosenthal, N E et al.·Psychiatry research·1998

Many people experience changes in energy, mood, appetite, and sleep across different seasons, often feeling worse in winter. This study tested whether ME/CFS patients experience these same seasonal changes. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients actually show much less seasonal variation in their symptoms compared to healthy people, suggesting their fatigue and other symptoms stay relatively constant year-round rather than fluctuating with the seasons.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Exploring the validity of the Chalder Fatigue scale in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Morriss, R K, Wearden, A J, Mullis, R·Journal of psychosomatic research·1998

This study tested whether the Chalder Fatigue Scale—a common questionnaire used to measure tiredness in ME/CFS patients—actually measures what it claims to measure. Researchers analyzed responses from 136 ME/CFS patients and found that fatigue has four distinct components: mental tiredness (linked to thinking problems), sleep difficulties, physical weakness (linked to low fitness), and depression. The results suggest the 11-item version of the scale works better than the original 14-item version for measuring fatigue in ME/CFS.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep abnormalities demonstrated by home polysomnography in teenagers with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Stores, G, Fry, A, Crawford, C·Journal of psychosomatic research·1998

Researchers used home sleep monitoring equipment to measure sleep quality in 18 teenagers with ME/CFS compared to healthy teens of the same age and gender. They found that teenagers with ME/CFS woke up much more frequently during the night—both for brief moments and longer periods—compared to the healthy group. These frequent sleep disruptions could help explain why young people with ME/CFS feel so exhausted during the day.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Do patients with "pure" chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia) have abnormal sleep?

Sharpley, A, Clements, A, Hawton, K et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·1997

This study compared sleep in 20 people with ME/CFS (who did not have depression, anxiety, or other sleep disorders) to 20 healthy people. Although ME/CFS patients reported feeling like they had poor, unrefreshing sleep and took daytime naps, objective sleep measurements showed surprisingly few differences—most patients actually slept a normal amount of time at night, though they spent longer lying awake after first falling asleep.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The relation of sleep difficulties to fatigue, mood and disability in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Morriss, R K, Wearden, A J, Battersby, L·Journal of psychosomatic research·1997

This study looked at sleep problems in 69 people with ME/CFS who had no mental health conditions and 58 with ME/CFS plus depression or anxiety. Researchers found that sleep difficulties are common in ME/CFS but are usually caused by the illness itself rather than depression. People with ME/CFS often took naps and woke up from pain, and when their sleep got worse, their ME/CFS symptoms often worsened too.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Somatomedin C (insulin-like growth factor I) levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Bennett, A L, Mayes, D M, Fagioli, L R et al.·Journal of psychiatric research·1997

Researchers measured levels of somatomedin C (a growth-related hormone) in 49 ME/CFS patients and compared them to 30 healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients had higher levels of this hormone than healthy controls. This is interesting because a similar condition called fibromyalgia shows the opposite pattern—lower levels of this hormone.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

An open study of the efficacy and adverse effects of moclobemide in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

White, P D, Cleary, K J·International clinical psychopharmacology·1997

This study tested whether a medication called moclobemide could help people with ME/CFS. Researchers gave 49 patients the drug for 6 weeks and found small improvements in fatigue, depression, and anxiety. The medication worked better for patients who also had depression, with half of them feeling much better, compared to only about one-fifth of those without depression.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Sleep anomalies in the chronic fatigue syndrome. A comorbidity study.

Fischler, B, Le Bon, O, Hoffmann, G et al.·Neuropsychobiology·1997

This study examined sleep patterns in 49 ME/CFS patients compared to 20 healthy people using overnight sleep monitoring. Patients with ME/CFS had difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, and spent less time in deep, restorative stage 4 sleep. These sleep problems were distinctive enough that researchers could correctly identify who had ME/CFS based on sleep patterns alone.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Periodic K-alpha sleep EEG activity and periodic limb movements during sleep: comparisons of clinical features and sleep parameters.

MacFarlane, J G, Shahal, B, Mously, C et al.·Sleep·1996

This study examined a specific brain wave pattern during sleep called K-alpha activity and compared it to periodic leg movements during sleep. Researchers found that patients with K-alpha activity were predominantly women, younger, and more likely to have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, while also experiencing unrefreshing sleep, stomach problems, and muscle pain.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Insulin-like growth factor-I (somatomedin C) levels in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Buchwald, D, Umali, J, Stene, M·The Journal of rheumatology·1996

Researchers tested whether people with ME/CFS have lower levels of a growth hormone called IGF-I, which had previously been found to be low in fibromyalgia patients. They measured IGF-I levels in 15 people with ME/CFS, 15 with both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, 27 with fibromyalgia alone, and 15 healthy volunteers. The study found no significant differences in IGF-I levels between any of the patient groups and healthy controls, suggesting that low IGF-I may not be a key feature of ME/CFS.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep disturbances and fatigue in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Schaefer, K M·Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN·1995

This study looked at sleep problems in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Researchers found that both groups had significant sleep difficulties, and that trouble staying asleep was the most common sleep problem reported. There was a clear link between poor sleep and fatigue—women who slept poorly felt more tired.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects.

Farmer, A, Jones, I, Hillier, J et al.·The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·1995

This study examined psychiatric conditions in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using standardized diagnostic interviews. Most CFS patients met criteria for a condition called neuraesthenia (an older term for nerve exhaustion) and had higher rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems compared to healthy people. Interestingly, when researchers followed patients over about 11 months without giving specific treatment, some psychiatric symptoms improved on their own, while the core fatigue condition remained.

SleepDiagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Alpha-delta sleep in patients with a chief complaint of chronic fatigue.

Manu, P, Lane, T J, Matthews, D A et al.·Southern medical journal·1994

This study looked at sleep patterns in 30 patients with chronic fatigue to understand what might be causing their exhaustion. Researchers found that a specific type of abnormal sleep pattern called 'alpha-delta sleep' appeared in about 26% of patients, but it was not clearly linked to ME/CFS or fibromyalgia. The study also found that one-third of the patients had other primary sleep disorders like sleep apnea that may have been contributing to their fatigue.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Primary juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents.

Bell, D S, Bell, K M, Cheney, P R·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1994

This study looked at whether children diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) also had fibromyalgia, a condition involving widespread muscle pain and tender points. Researchers found that about 30% of children with CFS met the criteria for fibromyalgia, and these children experienced more muscle pain, sleep problems, and neurological symptoms than those without fibromyalgia. The study suggests that CFS and fibromyalgia in children may be closely related or even the same condition.

Pain and SensitizationSleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Sleep disorders in patients with chronic fatigue.

Buchwald, D, Pascualy, R, Bombardier, C et al.·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1994

This study looked at sleep problems in 59 people with chronic fatigue, most of whom had ME/CFS. Researchers found that 81% had at least one sleep disorder—most commonly sleep apnea—that might be treatable. Importantly, these sleep problems occurred whether or not people met the full criteria for ME/CFS, suggesting they are a separate issue worth investigating and treating.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Dimensional assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Vercoulen, J H, Swanink, C M, Fennis, J F et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1994

This study asked 298 people with ME/CFS to fill out detailed questionnaires about how the illness affected them. Researchers found that ME/CFS affects people in nine different ways: mood and emotional health, ability to do daily activities, sleep quality, physical avoidance, thinking and memory problems, beliefs about what caused their illness, relationships and social life, confidence in their own abilities, and overall life satisfaction. Understanding these separate aspects could help doctors better assess and treat ME/CFS in individual patients.

SleepCognitive Impairment

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Melatonin levels in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Prognostic factors for persons with idiopathic chronic fatigue.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and seasonal affective disorder: comorbidity, diagnostic overlap, and implications for treatment.

Correlations among Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, multiple sleep latency tests and psychological symptoms.

Lack of seasonal variation of symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Exploring the validity of the Chalder Fatigue scale in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sleep abnormalities demonstrated by home polysomnography in teenagers with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Do patients with "pure" chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia) have abnormal sleep?

The relation of sleep difficulties to fatigue, mood and disability in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Somatomedin C (insulin-like growth factor I) levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

An open study of the efficacy and adverse effects of moclobemide in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sleep anomalies in the chronic fatigue syndrome. A comorbidity study.

Periodic K-alpha sleep EEG activity and periodic limb movements during sleep: comparisons of clinical features and sleep parameters.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (somatomedin C) levels in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Sleep disturbances and fatigue in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects.

Alpha-delta sleep in patients with a chief complaint of chronic fatigue.

Primary juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents.

Sleep disorders in patients with chronic fatigue.

Dimensional assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome.

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