ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1921–1940 of 6,160 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

The effects of warm water immersion on blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability in people with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Parker, Romy, Higgins, Zeenath, Mlombile, Zandiswa N P et al.·The South African journal of physiotherapy·2018

This study looked at how warm water bathing affects heart function in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had less stable heart rate patterns before entering warm water, but this improved during the water immersion. The heart rate stayed slightly elevated in the ME/CFS group even after leaving the water. Overall, warm water immersion appeared safe and may help with managing ME/CFS symptoms.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

How to Distinguish Patients with pSS among Individuals with Dryness without Invasive Diagnostic Studies.

Sebastian, Agata, Sebastian, Maciej, Misterska-Skóra, Maria et al.·Journal of immunology research·2018

This study looked at whether doctors can tell the difference between primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS)—an autoimmune disease that damages moisture-producing glands—and simple dryness caused by other reasons, without needing invasive tests like biopsies. The researchers found that certain blood markers and symptoms like fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and specific antibodies were much more common in pSS patients than in people with dryness alone.

Immune System

E2 ModeratePEM not requiredRegistry-Resource

Supplementation with Robuvit® in subjects with burnout associated to high oxidative stress.

Belcaro, Gianni, Hosoi, Morio, Feragalli, Beatrice et al.·Minerva medica·2018

This study tested whether a supplement called Robuvit® (made from French oak wood) could help people with burnout syndrome who experience severe fatigue and high oxidative stress (a type of cellular damage). Over 4 weeks, people taking Robuvit® showed improvements in emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and stress levels compared to those receiving standard treatment alone. The supplement also reduced markers of oxidative stress in the blood.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

A Survey on Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) and Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus (XMRV) Coinfection in Tehran, Iran.

Keshavarz, Mohsen, Karbalaie Niya, Mohammad Hadi, Tameshkel, Fahimeh Safarnezhad et al.·Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences·2018

Researchers in Iran tested 291 patients suspected of having HTLV-1 (a virus that affects the immune system) to see if they also had XMRV, another virus that has been studied in connection with chronic fatigue syndrome. They found that 32% of patients had HTLV-1, but only 1 out of 93 HTLV-1-positive patients also had XMRV. This suggests that having both viruses together is very rare in this population.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy are not determined by activity pacing when measured by the chronic pain coping inventory.

Thompson, D P, Antcliff, D, Woby, S R·Physiotherapy·2018

This study looked at whether activity pacing—a common strategy where people with ME/CFS carefully manage their activity levels to avoid worsening symptoms—actually helps reduce pain, fatigue, or disability. Researchers surveyed 114 ME/CFS patients and tracked 35 others through a symptom management program. They found no clear link between how much patients used pacing and their symptom levels, suggesting that pacing alone may not be the key factor in controlling ME/CFS symptoms.

Interventions

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cortical hypoactivation during resting EEG suggests central nervous system pathology in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Zinn, M A, Zinn, M L, Valencia, I et al.·Biological psychology·2018

Researchers used a brain-imaging technique called EEG to record electrical activity in the brains of 50 ME/CFS patients and 50 healthy people while they rested quietly. They found that ME/CFS patients had unusual patterns of brain activity in specific regions—particularly in the front and back of the brain—that were linked to reduced motivation and fatigue. These differences suggest that ME/CFS may involve changes in how the brain works, not just tiredness from physical causes.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Comparison of Fatigue Severity and Quality of Life between Unexplained Fatigue Patients and Explained Fatigue Patients.

Yoo, Eun Hae, Choi, Eun Sil, Cho, Soo Hyun et al.·Korean journal of family medicine·2018

This study compared fatigue and quality of life in 200 Korean adults with fatigue. Researchers divided participants into two groups: those whose fatigue had a clear medical explanation (like anemia or thyroid disease) and those whose fatigue remained unexplained after testing. People with unexplained fatigue reported significantly lower quality of life, especially in physical functioning, compared to those with explained fatigue.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Dry eye syndrome and the subsequent risk of chronic fatigue syndrome-a prospective population-based study in Taiwan.

Chen, Chih-Sheng, Cheng, Hui-Man, Chen, Hsuan-Ju et al.·Oncotarget·2018

This study found that people with dry eye syndrome (DES) are more likely to develop ME/CFS than those without dry eye problems. Researchers followed patients in Taiwan over many years and discovered that those with dry eye had about twice the risk of developing ME/CFS. Even after accounting for age, sex, and other health conditions, the increased risk remained significant.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Frailty and pre-frailty in middle-aged and older adults and its association with multimorbidity and mortality: a prospective analysis of 493 737 UK Biobank participants.

Hanlon, Peter, Nicholl, Barbara I, Jani, Bhautesh Dinesh et al.·The Lancet. Public health·2018

This large study looked at nearly 500,000 people aged 37-73 to understand 'frailty'—a condition where people become weak and tired more easily. The researchers found that frailty is associated with having multiple health conditions and an increased risk of death over 7 years. Importantly, they discovered that chronic fatigue syndrome was one of the top five conditions linked to frailty, suggesting that frailty affects not just elderly people but also middle-aged adults with long-term illnesses.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Increased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome following burn injuries.

Tsai, Shin-Yi, Lin, Cheng-Li, Shih, Shou-Chuan et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2018

This study found that people who suffer burn injuries have a higher chance of developing ME/CFS later on. Researchers looked at over 17,000 people in Taiwan who had burn injuries and compared them to a similar group without burns. Those with burns were about 1.5 times more likely to develop ME/CFS, and burns in visible areas like the face and arms had a stronger link to ME/CFS than burns on the trunk.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Prospective Biomarkers from Plasma Metabolomics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Implicate Redox Imbalance in Disease Symptomatology.

Germain, Arnaud, Ruppert, David, Levine, Susan M et al.·Metabolites·2018

Researchers studied blood samples from 32 women with ME/CFS and 19 healthy women to look for chemical differences. They found 14 metabolites (small molecules in the blood) that were different in ME/CFS patients, suggesting their bodies may have trouble managing oxidative stress—a chemical imbalance that could contribute to their symptoms. This discovery could eventually help doctors identify ME/CFS through a blood test.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Illness beliefs of adolescents with CFS and their parents: the perceived causes of illness and beliefs about recovery.

Loades, Maria E, Rimes, Katharine A, Lievesley, Kate et al.·International journal of adolescent medicine and health·2018

This study asked teenagers with ME/CFS and their parents what they thought caused the illness. Most believed it was triggered by a virus or stressful life events. Interestingly, teenagers and parents largely agreed with each other about the causes. Many teenagers weren't sure how long it would take them to recover, suggesting doctors should better inform young patients about what to expect.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Characteristics and determinants of dietary intake and physical activity in a group of patients with multiple chemical sensitivity.

Aguilar-Aguilar, Elena, Marcos-Pasero, Helena, de la Iglesia, Rocío et al.·Endocrinologia, diabetes y nutricion·2018

This study looked at the eating habits and exercise levels of 52 people with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), a condition where people react badly to everyday chemicals. The researchers found that most patients weren't eating enough fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, were taking many supplements, and very few were exercising regularly. The study suggests that better nutritional guidance tailored to each person's needs could help improve their health and quality of life.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Rethinking childhood adversity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Clark, James E, Davidson, Sean L, Maclachlan, Laura et al.·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2018

This study looked at whether difficult childhood experiences are more common in people with ME/CFS. The researchers carefully separated people with ME/CFS who had never had depression from those who had. They found that childhood trauma was not actually more common in ME/CFS patients without depression compared to healthy people, suggesting previous studies may have been confused by patients who also had depression.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Balance deficits in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with and without fibromyalgia.

Serrador, Jorge M, Quigley, Karen S, Zhao, Caixia et al.·NeuroRehabilitation·2018

This study tested balance and dizziness in people with ME/CFS, comparing those with and without fibromyalgia. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had measurably worse balance than healthy controls, and their balance problems were linked to how well they could function physically. Interestingly, people with both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia had the most severe balance problems, suggesting these conditions together may affect the body differently than ME/CFS alone.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Emotional Regulation in Women with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Depression: Internal Representations and Adaptive Defenses.

Bram, Anthony D, Gottschalk, Kiley A, Leeds, William M·Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association·2018

This study looked at how women with ME/CFS and depression process and manage their emotions differently than healthy women. Researchers tested 186 women in four groups—those with ME/CFS and high depression, ME/CFS with lower depression, depression alone, and healthy controls—to see if difficulty expressing emotions psychologically might lead to more physical symptoms. The findings suggest that some people with ME/CFS, particularly those with both ME/CFS and depression, may have more trouble managing emotions, but not all patients show this pattern.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A content analysis of chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis in the news from 1987 to 2013.

Siegel, Zachary A, Brown, Abigail, Devendorf, Andrew et al.·Chronic illness·2018

Researchers examined 214 newspaper articles about ME/CFS published between 1987 and 2013 to see how the illness was described to the public. They found that newspapers often got the facts wrong or incomplete—nearly 1 in 5 headlines used the wrong name for the illness, most articles didn't explain how to diagnose it, and half didn't mention any treatments. This study shows that people reading the news may have received confusing or incomplete information about ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Autonomic Nervous System Functioning Related to Nocturnal Sleep in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Compared to Tired Controls.

Orjatsalo, Maija, Alakuijala, Anniina, Partinen, Markku·Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine·2018

This study examined how the nervous system controls heart rate and blood pressure during sleep in ME/CFS patients compared to people without the condition. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients showed unusual patterns during sleep: their sympathetic nervous system (the 'fight or flight' system) was more active than normal, while their parasympathetic nervous system (the 'rest and digest' system) was less active, especially during deep sleep. This abnormal nervous system activity during sleep may help explain why ME/CFS patients often wake up feeling unrefreshed.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Systemic exertion intolerance disease diagnostic criteria applied on an adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome cohort: evaluation of subgroup differences and prognostic utility.

Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre, Sulheim, Dag, Fagermoen, Even et al.·BMJ paediatrics open·2018

This study looked at whether a diagnostic checklist called SEID (Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease) could reliably identify and predict outcomes in teenagers with ME/CFS. The researchers compared 120 adolescents who did or didn't meet the SEID criteria and found that the criteria didn't actually help predict who would improve over time. Interestingly, teens who met the SEID criteria were more likely to show symptoms of depression, which raises questions about whether the criteria are truly measuring ME/CFS itself.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome do not score higher on the autism-spectrum quotient than healthy controls: Comparison with autism spectrum disorder.

Bileviciute-Ljungar, Indre, Maroti, Daniel, Bejerot, Susanne·Scandinavian journal of psychology·2018

This study compared autistic traits in people with ME/CFS, people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and healthy people. Although ME/CFS and autism share some overlapping symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and sensitivity to sound and light, the study found that people with ME/CFS did not show more autistic traits than healthy controls. People with autism did score higher on the autism assessment, showing the test can distinguish between the conditions.

Cognitive Impairment

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The effects of warm water immersion on blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability in people with chronic fatigue syndrome.

How to Distinguish Patients with pSS among Individuals with Dryness without Invasive Diagnostic Studies.

Supplementation with Robuvit® in subjects with burnout associated to high oxidative stress.

A Survey on Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) and Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus (XMRV) Coinfection in Tehran, Iran.

Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy are not determined by activity pacing when measured by the chronic pain coping inventory.

Cortical hypoactivation during resting EEG suggests central nervous system pathology in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Comparison of Fatigue Severity and Quality of Life between Unexplained Fatigue Patients and Explained Fatigue Patients.

Dry eye syndrome and the subsequent risk of chronic fatigue syndrome-a prospective population-based study in Taiwan.

Frailty and pre-frailty in middle-aged and older adults and its association with multimorbidity and mortality: a prospective analysis of 493 737 UK Biobank participants.

Increased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome following burn injuries.

Prospective Biomarkers from Plasma Metabolomics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Implicate Redox Imbalance in Disease Symptomatology.

Illness beliefs of adolescents with CFS and their parents: the perceived causes of illness and beliefs about recovery.

Characteristics and determinants of dietary intake and physical activity in a group of patients with multiple chemical sensitivity.

Rethinking childhood adversity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Balance deficits in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with and without fibromyalgia.

Emotional Regulation in Women with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Depression: Internal Representations and Adaptive Defenses.

A content analysis of chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis in the news from 1987 to 2013.

Autonomic Nervous System Functioning Related to Nocturnal Sleep in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Compared to Tired Controls.

Systemic exertion intolerance disease diagnostic criteria applied on an adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome cohort: evaluation of subgroup differences and prognostic utility.

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome do not score higher on the autism-spectrum quotient than healthy controls: Comparison with autism spectrum disorder.

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