Evidence browser

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Evidence of Clinical Pathology Abnormalities in People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) from an Analytic Cross-Sectional Study.

Nacul, Luis, de Barros, Barbara, Kingdon, Caroline C et al.·Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)·2019

Researchers tested blood samples from 272 people with ME/CFS and 136 healthy people to look for measurable differences that might help diagnose the condition. They found that people with severe ME/CFS had notably lower levels of an enzyme called creatine kinase (CK) in their blood compared to healthy people and those with milder ME/CFS. This is the first study to report this pattern, suggesting that CK levels might be useful for identifying who has the most severe form of the disease.

Biomarkers

Illness perceptions in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome and other physical health conditions: Application of the common sense model.

Haines, Cara, Loades, Maria, Davis, Cara·Clinical child psychology and psychiatry·2019

This study compared how teenagers with ME/CFS view their illness compared to teenagers with diabetes or arthritis. Teenagers with ME/CFS had very different beliefs about their condition—particularly about how much control they had over it, how long it would last, and how well they understood what was happening to them. The researchers suggest that helping teenagers with ME/CFS feel more in control and understand their condition better might help them cope better.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A logistic regression analysis of risk factors in ME/CFS pathogenesis.

Lacerda, Eliana M, Geraghty, Keith, Kingdon, Caroline C et al.·BMC neurology·2019

This study looked at what factors might increase someone's risk of developing ME/CFS by comparing 269 people with ME/CFS to people with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls. Researchers found that having frequent colds or infections before illness onset, being single, having lower income, and having a family history of anxiety or neurological illness were linked to higher ME/CFS risk. The study suggests that infections may play an important role in how ME/CFS develops, which differs from multiple sclerosis.

Hematological and Psychophysiological Correlates of Anomalous Information Reception in Mediums: A Preliminary Exploration.

Beischel, Julie, Tassone, Shawn, Boccuzzi, Mark·Explore (New York, N.Y.)·2019

This study looked at whether people who identify as mediums (those who report communicating with deceased individuals) experience more health problems than people who don't. Researchers found that mediums reported significantly more autoimmune diseases, sleep problems, gastrointestinal issues, and other symptoms compared to non-mediums. However, blood tests and heart rate measurements taken during mediumship sessions showed no unusual changes.

Sleep

Impaired Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescent Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Impact of Core Symptoms.

Roma, Maria, Marden, Colleen L, Flaherty, Marissa A K et al.·Frontiers in pediatrics·2019

This study looked at how ME/CFS affects the daily lives and well-being of teenagers and young adults compared to healthy peers. Young people with ME/CFS reported much worse quality of life across all areas tested, and the study found that post-exertional malaise (feeling much worse after activity) was the strongest predictor of this reduced quality of life. The findings confirm that ME/CFS in young people is as serious as or more serious than other chronic childhood illnesses like asthma, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis.

Systemic exertion intolerance disease/chronic fatigue syndrome is common in sleep centre patients with hypersomnolence: A retrospective pilot study.

Maness, Caroline, Saini, Prabhjyot, Bliwise, Donald L et al.·Journal of sleep research·2019

This study looked at people visiting sleep clinics who reported excessive daytime sleepiness and found that 21% of them also met criteria for ME/CFS (systemic exertion intolerance disease). People with both conditions reported more severe fatigue and were less likely to benefit from standard wake-promoting medications compared to those with only sleep disorders. The findings suggest that ME/CFS frequently occurs alongside sleep disorders and may make treatment more difficult.

Pain is associated with reduced quality of life and functional status in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Strand, Elin Bolle, Mengshoel, Anne Marit, Sandvik, Leiv et al.·Scandinavian journal of pain·2019

This study compared 87 ME/CFS patients with 94 healthy people to understand how pain affects quality of life. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients experience significantly more pain, anxiety, and depression, and have lower quality of life than healthy controls. Within the ME/CFS group, pain was strongly linked to reduced physical functioning and overall quality of life, suggesting that managing pain could help improve how well patients function daily.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Cellular Immune Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Cliff, Jacqueline M, King, Elizabeth C, Lee, Ji-Sook et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2019

This study examined the immune system of ME/CFS patients by testing their blood for signs of infection and measuring different types of immune cells. Researchers compared 251 ME/CFS patients (including 54 with severe ME/CFS) to healthy people and multiple sclerosis patients. They found that ME/CFS patients had unusual patterns in their T cells—a type of immune cell—but not in natural killer cells, contrary to what some earlier studies suggested.

Immune System

Relationship Between Exercise-induced Oxidative Stress Changes and Parasympathetic Activity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Observational Study in Patients and Healthy Subjects.

Polli, Andrea, Van Oosterwijck, Jessica, Nijs, Jo et al.·Clinical therapeutics·2019

This study looked at whether oxidative stress (cellular damage from normal metabolism) is related to pain in ME/CFS patients, and how it connects to the vagus nerve, which helps control the body's relaxation response. Researchers had ME/CFS patients and healthy people do a mild exercise test and measured their pain, oxidative stress levels, and nerve activity before and after. They found that oxidative stress was linked to pain in ME/CFS patients, but unlike healthy people, ME/CFS patients didn't show improvements in pain or oxidative stress after exercise.

Pain and SensitizationAutonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Can a Chronic BPPV With a History of Trauma be the Trigger of Symptoms in Vestibular Migraine, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), and Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD)? A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Tjell, Carsten, Iglebekk, Wenche, Borenstein, Peter·Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology·2019

This study looked at patients with a condition called chronic BPPV (a type of inner ear problem that causes dizziness), many of whom had experienced head or neck trauma. The researchers found that treating this inner ear condition improved symptoms in about 90% of patients. Interestingly, the patients' symptoms overlapped with ME/CFS, migraine, and whiplash-related disorders, raising the question of whether the inner ear problem might be triggering or contributing to these conditions.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Rituximab Serum Concentrations and Anti-Rituximab Antibodies During B-Cell Depletion Therapy for Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Rekeland, Ingrid G, Fluge, Øystein, Alme, Kine et al.·Clinical therapeutics·2019

This study looked at whether the amount of a drug called rituximab in patients' blood predicted whether they would improve from ME/CFS symptoms. The researchers measured rituximab levels in 23 patients and found no clear connection between how much drug was in the blood and who felt better. Interestingly, none of the patients developed antibodies against the drug, which was a potential concern.

Immune System

Diagnostic sensitivity of 2-day cardiopulmonary exercise testing in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Nelson, Maximillian J, Buckley, Jonathan D, Thomson, Rebecca L et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2019

Researchers tested whether a simple exercise test could help diagnose ME/CFS. They had patients and healthy people exercise on a stationary bike on two consecutive days and measured how their performance changed. ME/CFS patients showed a larger drop in exercise capacity on the second day compared to healthy people, suggesting this difference might be a useful diagnostic tool.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Psychometric properties of the PROMIS® Fatigue Short Form 7a among adults with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Yang, Manshu, Keller, San, Lin, Jin-Mann S·Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2019

Researchers tested whether a short questionnaire called PROMIS Fatigue (7 questions) accurately measures fatigue in people with ME/CFS. They found that the questionnaire reliably captures how tired ME/CFS patients feel, works the same way for different ages and genders, and can detect when fatigue changes over time. This tool may help doctors and researchers measure whether new treatments for ME/CFS actually work.

Fatigue in Epstein-Barr virus infected adolescents and healthy controls: A prospective multifactorial association study.

Pedersen, Maria, Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre, Godang, Kristin et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2019

This study followed teenagers with acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and compared them to healthy teenagers to understand what causes fatigue. Researchers measured 148 different factors including symptoms, quality of life, sleep, emotions, immune markers, and heart rate control at the start of infection and again six months later. They found that fatigue was consistently linked to sleep problems, negative emotions, and poor quality of life, but surprisingly, markers of active infection were not associated with how tired people felt.

SleepAutonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome patients' reports of symptom changes following cognitive behavioural therapy, graded exercise therapy and pacing treatments: Analysis of a primary survey compared with secondary surveys.

Geraghty, Keith, Hann, Mark, Kurtev, Stoyan·Journal of health psychology·2019

This study asked ME/CFS patients about their experiences with three different treatment approaches: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), graded exercise therapy (GET), and pacing. The researchers found that pacing—where patients carefully manage their activity levels without pushing beyond their limits—was reported as most helpful and caused the fewest problems. In contrast, GET led to significant symptom worsening in over half of patients, while CBT helped only a small percentage of people.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearLongitudinal

Psychological and demographic factors associated with fatigue and social adjustment in young people with severe chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a preliminary mixed-methods study.

Ali, Sheila, Adamczyk, Lucy, Burgess, Mary et al.·Journal of behavioral medicine·2019

This study followed 51 young people (aged 12-25) with severe ME/CFS over about 5 months to understand what affects their fatigue and ability to attend school or work. Researchers found that young people who were more afraid of activity and worried about making their symptoms worse tended to have higher fatigue levels and struggled more with social life. Interestingly, girls were less likely to attend school or work, but this wasn't connected to having worse fatigue or social problems.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): Investigating care practices pointed out to disparities in diagnosis and treatment across European Union.

Strand, Elin B, Nacul, Luis, Mengshoel, Anne Marit et al.·PloS one·2019

This study looked at how ME/CFS is diagnosed and treated across 17 European countries by surveying doctors and health organizations. The researchers found that different countries use different diagnostic tests and treatment approaches, with no standard way of doing things across Europe. The study shows that there is confusion and inconsistency in how ME/CFS patients are evaluated and cared for, which suggests that Europe needs to agree on common guidelines.

Diagnostics

Rethinking ME/CFS Diagnostic Reference Intervals via Machine Learning, and the Utility of Activin B for Defining Symptom Severity.

Lidbury, Brett A, Kita, Badia, Richardson, Alice M et al.·Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)·2019

This study looked for blood test markers that could help diagnose ME/CFS and measure how severe someone's illness is. Researchers tested a protein called activin B along with routine blood work from pathology labs in people with ME/CFS and healthy controls. They used a computer learning method to see which combinations of blood markers worked best for identifying ME/CFS and predicting symptom severity.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic Widespread Pain in a tertiary pain clinic: classification overlap and use of a patient generated quality of life instrument.

Tschudi-Madsen, Hedda, Rødevand, Linn N, Bøymo Kaarbø, Mette et al.·Scandinavian journal of pain·2019

This study looked at 33 patients with widespread pain to understand how different diagnostic labels (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and bodily distress syndrome) overlap and apply to the same people. Researchers also tested whether a patient-created quality-of-life survey could capture things that standard questionnaires miss. They found that most patients had very low quality of life scores, and that the newer diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia work better together than older versions.

Diagnostics

Onset Patterns and Course of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Chu, Lily, Valencia, Ian J, Garvert, Donn W et al.·Frontiers in pediatrics·2019

This study surveyed 150 people with ME/CFS about how their illness started and changed over time. Most people reported their ME/CFS began after an infection, stress, or chemical exposure. While some symptoms like fatigue and flu-like feelings improved slightly over time, others like brain fog stayed about the same or got worse, and nearly half of participants couldn't work by the time of the study.