ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1961–1980 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

No evidence found for an increased risk of long-term fatigue following human papillomavirus vaccination of adolescent girls.

Schurink-Van't Klooster, T M, Kemmeren, J M, van der Maas, N A T et al.·Vaccine·2018

Researchers in the Netherlands investigated whether the HPV vaccine (given to prevent cervical cancer) could cause long-term fatigue in teenage girls. They compared fatigue rates before and after the vaccine was introduced and found no evidence that the vaccine increased fatigue cases. While some girls did report lasting tiredness, this happened at similar rates whether or not they had received the vaccine.

E2 ModeratePEM not requiredRegistry-Resource

The International Collaborative on Fatigue Following Infection (COFFI).

Katz, Ben Z, Collin, Simon M, Murphy, Gabrielle et al.·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2018

COFFI is an international research project that combines data from thousands of patients across six countries who developed severe fatigue after different infections, such as mononucleosis, Q fever, and others. Researchers followed patients for up to 10 years to identify what factors predict who will recover and who will develop long-lasting fatigue syndromes. Early findings suggest that being female, having low physical fitness before infection, and experiencing problems with the autonomic nervous system increase the risk of prolonged fatigue.

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 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 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Dimensional Personality Assessment among a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) sample with Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5).

Calvo, Natalia, Pueyo, Natalia, Gutiérrez, Fernando et al.·Actas espanolas de psiquiatria·2018

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS are more likely to have certain personality traits or patterns. Researchers gave 84 ME/CFS patients a personality assessment test and found that 64% met criteria for a personality disorder. The traits most strongly associated with personality disorders in this group were worry about relationships, repetitive thinking, social withdrawal, and perfectionism.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Endometriosis increased the risk of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis: A population-based study.

Wu, Chia-Chang, Chung, Shiu-Dong, Lin, Herng-Ching·Neurourology and urodynamics·2018

This study found that women with endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus) have a significantly higher risk of developing bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC), a chronic bladder pain condition. Over a 3-year period, about 4 times as many women with endometriosis developed BPS/IC compared to women without endometriosis. This suggests these two painful conditions may share common underlying mechanisms.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Association of chronic fatigue syndrome with premature telomere attrition.

Rajeevan, Mangalathu S, Murray, Janna, Oakley, Lisa et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2018

This study compared telomere length—the protective caps at the ends of our DNA—between people with ME/CFS and healthy controls. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had shorter telomeres, suggesting their cells may be aging faster than expected. The effect was strongest in women under 45 years old with ME/CFS, who showed signs of aging equivalent to 10-20 years beyond their actual age.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Effects of a short-term aquatic exercise intervention on symptoms and exercise capacity in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a pilot study.

Broadbent, Suzanne, Coetzee, Sonja, Beavers, Rosalind·European journal of applied physiology·2018

This small study looked at whether exercising in water could help women with ME/CFS. Eleven women did gentle water exercise twice a week for 4 weeks, and researchers measured their strength, fitness, and fatigue levels before and after. The women were able to walk farther, felt less tired and had less pain after the program, and nobody reported feeling worse from the exercise.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The etiologic relation between disequilibrium and orthostatic intolerance in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome).

Miwa, Kunihisa, Inoue, Yukichi·Journal of cardiology·2018

This study looked at 44 ME/CFS patients to understand why they struggle to stay upright (orthostatic intolerance). Researchers found that balance problems—difficulty staying steady when standing with eyes closed—were common and seemed to make orthostatic intolerance worse. Patients with balance problems were more likely to have trouble completing a 10-minute standing test than those with only heart rate changes, suggesting balance issues may be just as important as blood pressure and heart rate problems in ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Humoral Immunity Profiling of Subjects with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Using a Random Peptide Microarray Differentiates Cases from Controls with High Specificity and Sensitivity.

Singh, Sahajpreet, Stafford, Phillip, Schlauch, Karen A et al.·Molecular neurobiology·2018

Researchers tested blood samples from 21 people with ME and 21 healthy controls to look for distinctive antibody patterns that could serve as a diagnostic test. Using a high-tech screening tool that checks for antibodies against thousands of different peptides, they found 25 unique patterns that could reliably distinguish people with ME from those without the disease. The antibodies appeared to target the person's own proteins and certain virus-like sequences found in human DNA.

Immune System

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 unclearCase-Control

Identification of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-associated DNA methylation patterns.

Trivedi, Malav S, Oltra, Elisa, Sarria, Leonor et al.·PloS one·2018

Researchers studied chemical tags on DNA (called methylation) in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. While the overall amount of these tags was similar between groups, they found specific locations on thousands of genes where the tags differed. Many of these differences were in genes involved in immune system function, which aligns with what doctors already know about ME/CFS affecting immunity.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Low Sensitivity of Abbreviated Tilt Table Testing for Diagnosing Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in Adults With ME/CFS.

van Campen, C Linda M C, Rowe, Peter C, Visser, Frans C·Frontiers in pediatrics·2018

Many people with ME/CFS experience dizziness and rapid heartbeat when standing up, a condition called POTS. This study found that when doctors use shortened tilt table tests (lasting only 2 minutes) to diagnose POTS, they miss more than half of the patients who actually have it. The researchers recommend using the full 10-minute test instead of the abbreviated version to properly identify POTS in ME/CFS patients.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Grey and white matter differences in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - A voxel-based morphometry study.

Finkelmeyer, Andreas, He, Jiabao, Maclachlan, Laura et al.·NeuroImage. Clinical·2018

Researchers used advanced brain imaging (MRI) to compare the brains of 42 people with ME/CFS to 30 healthy people. They found differences in how much grey matter and white matter the ME/CFS patients had in certain brain regions. Specifically, people with ME/CFS had more grey matter in areas that process internal body signals and stress, but less white matter in regions involved in the brainstem and midbrain.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Restricted Spatial Windows of Visibility in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).

Ahmed, Nadia S, Gottlob, Irene, Proudlock, Frank A et al.·Vision (Basel, Switzerland)·2018

This study looked at how ME affects vision by testing how well people can see contrast (the difference between light and dark areas). Researchers tested 19 people with ME and 19 healthy people by asking them to identify faint striped patterns. People with ME had more difficulty seeing these patterns, especially at lower levels of detail, suggesting that ME may affect how the eyes and brain process visual information.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Defining the prevalence and symptom burden of those with self-reported severe chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): a two-phase community pilot study in the North East of England.

Strassheim, Victoria Jane, Sunnquist, Madison, Jason, Leonard A et al.·BMJ open·2018

This study tried to find out how many people in Northern England have severe ME/CFS and what symptoms they experience. Researchers sent questionnaires to people with ME/CFS and then invited five participants to take part in home-based research visits. The study found that people with severe ME/CFS want to participate in research but struggle with their high symptom burden and poor quality of life, which makes completing research visits challenging.

Diagnostics

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

In Schizophrenia, Depression, Anxiety, and Physiosomatic Symptoms Are Strongly Related to Psychotic Symptoms and Excitation, Impairments in Episodic Memory, and Increased Production of Neurotoxic Tryptophan Catabolites: a Multivariate and Machine Learning Study.

Kanchanatawan, Buranee, Thika, Supaksorn, Sirivichayakul, Sunee et al.·Neurotoxicity research·2018

This study examined 80 people with schizophrenia and 40 healthy controls to understand why schizophrenia patients often experience depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms like those seen in chronic fatigue. The researchers found that these symptoms were linked to changes in how the body breaks down tryptophan (an amino acid), problems with memory, and the severity of psychotic symptoms. The findings suggest that toxic byproducts from tryptophan metabolism may contribute to depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms in schizophrenia.

Neuroinflammation

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

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No evidence found for an increased risk of long-term fatigue following human papillomavirus vaccination of adolescent girls.

The International Collaborative on Fatigue Following Infection (COFFI).

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

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.

Dimensional Personality Assessment among a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) sample with Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5).

Endometriosis increased the risk of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis: A population-based study.

Association of chronic fatigue syndrome with premature telomere attrition.

Balance deficits in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with and without fibromyalgia.

Effects of a short-term aquatic exercise intervention on symptoms and exercise capacity in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a pilot study.

The etiologic relation between disequilibrium and orthostatic intolerance in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome).

Humoral Immunity Profiling of Subjects with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Using a Random Peptide Microarray Differentiates Cases from Controls with High Specificity and Sensitivity.

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

Identification of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-associated DNA methylation patterns.

Low Sensitivity of Abbreviated Tilt Table Testing for Diagnosing Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in Adults With ME/CFS.

Grey and white matter differences in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - A voxel-based morphometry study.

Restricted Spatial Windows of Visibility in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).

Defining the prevalence and symptom burden of those with self-reported severe chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): a two-phase community pilot study in the North East of England.

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

In Schizophrenia, Depression, Anxiety, and Physiosomatic Symptoms Are Strongly Related to Psychotic Symptoms and Excitation, Impairments in Episodic Memory, and Increased Production of Neurotoxic Tryptophan Catabolites: a Multivariate and Machine Learning Study.

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

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