ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

1981–2000 of 6,160 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Giardia-specific cellular immune responses in post-giardiasis chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hanevik, Kurt, Kristoffersen, Einar, Mørch, Kristine et al.·BMC immunology·2017

Researchers studied whether people who developed ME/CFS after a Giardia infection (a parasite that causes stomach illness) had different immune responses compared to those who recovered. They found that fatigued patients had higher levels of a specific immune protein called sCD40L, which correlated with how tired they felt. However, most immune markers tested were similar between those who developed ME/CFS and those who recovered, suggesting the answer may be more complex than initially expected.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Cognitive remediation training improves performance in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

McBride, Richard L, Horsfield, Sarah, Sandler, Carolina X et al.·Psychiatry research·2017

This study tested whether computer-based brain training exercises could help ME/CFS patients with concentration and memory problems. Thirty-six patients received standard cognitive-behavioral therapy plus exercise therapy, and thirty-six received the same treatment plus online cognitive training. The group that added brain training showed greater improvements in both their self-reported memory and concentration, and also performed better on objective memory and thinking tests.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prevalence and factors associated with the use of acupuncture and Chinese medicine: results of a nationally representative survey of 17161 Australian women.

Yang, Lu, Adams, Jon, Sibbritt, David·Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society·2017

This study surveyed over 17,000 Australian women to find out how many use acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, and what health conditions are associated with using these treatments. The researchers found that women with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), along with other long-term health problems like low iron, arthritis, and endometriosis, were more likely to try acupuncture or Chinese medicine.

E2 ModerateDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

The assessment of fatigue: Psychometric qualities and norms for the Checklist individual strength.

Worm-Smeitink, M, Gielissen, M, Bloot, L et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2017

This study tested a questionnaire called the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) that measures different types of fatigue, including how tired people feel, difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation, and reduced activity levels. Researchers gave this questionnaire to nearly 2,300 healthy people and over 5,000 patients with chronic fatigue to see if it accurately identifies severe fatigue. They found the CIS works well for measuring fatigue and recommended adjusting the score that indicates 'severe fatigue' from 35 to 40 points for ME/CFS research.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Elevated brain natriuretic peptide levels in chronic fatigue syndrome associate with cardiac dysfunction: a case control study.

Tomas, Cara, Finkelmeyer, Andreas, Hodgson, Tim et al.·Open heart·2017

This study found that people with ME/CFS have higher levels of a hormone called BNP (brain natriuretic peptide) in their blood compared to healthy people without the condition. Interestingly, those with higher BNP levels had smaller heart chambers, which suggests their hearts may be working differently in ME/CFS. The researchers believe this finding is related to the condition itself, not simply from being inactive.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Medial prefrontal cortex deficits correlate with unrefreshing sleep in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Shan, Zack Y, Kwiatek, Richard, Burnet, Richard et al.·NMR in biomedicine·2017

This study found that ME/CFS patients with the worst sleep quality had specific structural differences in a brain region called the medial prefrontal cortex compared to healthy people. The researchers used MRI brain scans to measure brain tissue and found that the brain tissue in this area appeared different in ME/CFS patients, especially those reporting unrefreshing sleep. This is important because it provides biological evidence that unrefreshing sleep in ME/CFS is a real physical problem, not just a patient's perception.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue in an adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder population: A trans-diagnostic approach.

Rogers, Denise C, Dittner, Antonia J, Rimes, Katharine A et al.·The British journal of clinical psychology·2017

This study looked at fatigue in adults with ADHD and compared it to fatigue in people with ME/CFS and healthy people. Researchers found that adults with ADHD experience significantly more fatigue than healthy controls, with about 62% meeting criteria for clinically significant fatigue. Importantly, they discovered that people with ME/CFS and people with ADHD share many similar challenges, including low mood, anxiety, and reduced confidence in their abilities.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Poor sleep quality is associated with greater circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and severity and frequency of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) symptoms in women.

Milrad, Sara F, Hall, Daniel L, Jutagir, Devika R et al.·Journal of neuroimmunology·2017

This study looked at 60 women with ME/CFS to understand how sleep quality affects their symptoms and inflammation levels. Researchers found that women who slept poorly had higher levels of inflammatory substances in their blood and experienced more severe fatigue and ME/CFS symptoms. The findings suggest that improving sleep quality might help reduce both inflammation and symptom severity in people living with ME/CFS.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Neuroendocrine disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Tomic, Slavica, Brkic, Snezana, Lendak, Dajana et al.·Turkish journal of medical sciences·2017

This study looked at hormone levels in 40 women with ME/CFS compared to 40 healthy women to see if hormonal imbalances might explain ME/CFS symptoms. While standard hormone tests showed mostly normal results, researchers found that cortisol (a stress hormone) didn't follow its natural daily rhythm in ME/CFS patients the way it does in healthy people, and thyroid hormone T3 was lower in the ME/CFS group. The findings suggest that ME/CFS may involve subtle disruptions in how the body regulates these hormones over time.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Physio-somatic symptoms in schizophrenia: association with depression, anxiety, neurocognitive deficits and the tryptophan catabolite pathway.

Kanchanatawan, Buranee, Sirivichayakul, Sunee, Thika, Supaksorn et al.·Metabolic brain disease·2017

This study looked at physical symptoms like fatigue, muscle pain, and flu-like feelings in people with schizophrenia. Researchers found that more than half of schizophrenia patients experienced these symptoms, which were linked to depression, anxiety, and problems with memory and attention. The symptoms appeared to be connected to changes in how the body processes tryptophan, an amino acid, and how the immune system responds to these breakdown products.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Patterns of control beliefs in chronic fatigue syndrome: results of a population-based survey.

Doerr, Johanna M, Jopp, Daniela S, Chajewski, Michael et al.·BMC psychology·2017

This study looked at how ME/CFS patients think about their ability to solve problems and manage their condition. Researchers surveyed 113 people with ME/CFS, 264 with severe fatigue that didn't quite meet CFS criteria, and 124 healthy people. They found that people who didn't feel confident in their problem-solving skills were much more likely to have ME/CFS or severe fatigue. Interestingly, some healthy people also had low confidence, suggesting that mindset alone doesn't determine who gets ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Heterogeneity in chronic fatigue syndrome - empirically defined subgroups from the PACE trial.

Williams, T E, Chalder, T, Sharpe, M et al.·Psychological medicine·2017

This study found that ME/CFS is not one single condition but rather five distinct subtypes that affect people differently. Researchers analyzed data from 541 patients and identified groups characterized by: low overall symptoms, mood disorders, overlapping conditions like fibromyalgia, combined multiple symptoms, or avoidance behaviors with fear of activity. Understanding these differences could help doctors tailor treatments to what works best for each person's specific type.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

[Sleep disturbances - an important factor in combination 'minor' symptoms of multiple sclerosis].

Yakupov, E Z, Troshina, Yu V·Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova·2017

This study looked at sleep problems in 54 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to 54 healthy people. Researchers found that people with MS had much more trouble sleeping, and that poor sleep was connected to anxiety, depression, and fatigue. The study suggests that sleep disturbances may play an important role in how MS affects quality of life and fatigue symptoms.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prefrontal Structure Varies as a Function of Pain Symptoms in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

van der Schaaf, Marieke E, De Lange, Floris P, Schmits, Iris C et al.·Biological psychiatry·2017

This study examined brain structure in 89 women with ME/CFS using brain imaging. Researchers found that the amount of pain a patient experiences—not fatigue—was the strongest predictor of changes in a specific brain region called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. People with more pain showed smaller brain volume and lower levels of brain chemicals in this region, even after accounting for fatigue, depression, and physical activity.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Are current chronic fatigue syndrome criteria diagnosing different disease phenotypes?

Maclachlan, Laura, Watson, Stuart, Gallagher, Peter et al.·PloS one·2017

This study looked at whether different diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS are actually identifying the same disease or different versions of it. Researchers tested 49 ME/CFS patients and 10 healthy controls using questionnaires and objective tests of heart function and thinking ability. They found that patients reported more autonomic and cognitive symptoms than controls, but objective heart tests didn't show clear differences—though different patient subgroups did show different levels of impairment on cognitive testing.

Autonomic Nervous SystemDiagnosticsCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Whole blood gene expression in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome: an exploratory cross-sectional study suggesting altered B cell differentiation and survival.

Nguyen, Chinh Bkrong, Alsøe, Lene, Lindvall, Jessica M et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2017

This study looked at blood samples from 29 teenagers with ME/CFS and compared them to 18 healthy teens to see if their genes were working differently. The researchers found that certain immune cells involved in fighting infection were not developing or surviving normally in the ME/CFS group, and that signs of inflammation and antiviral activity were higher. These gene changes were connected to nervous system problems and symptoms like post-exertional malaise (feeling much worse after activity).

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredObservational

Incidence rates of Guillain Barré (GBS), chronic fatigue/systemic exertion intolerance disease (CFS/SEID) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) prior to introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination among adolescent girls in Finland, 2002-2012.

Skufca, J, Ollgren, J, Ruokokoski, E et al.·Papillomavirus research (Amsterdam, Netherlands)·2017

This Finnish study looked at how often three conditions—ME/CFS, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and POTS—were diagnosed in teenage girls between 2002 and 2012, before the HPV vaccine program started. Researchers wanted to establish baseline numbers to help evaluate vaccine safety in the future. They found these conditions were relatively rare, though ME/CFS and POTS diagnoses increased over the decade studied.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Establishing Clinically Relevant Severity Levels for the Central Sensitization Inventory.

Neblett, Randy, Hartzell, Meredith M, Mayer, Tom G et al.·Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain·2017

Researchers created and tested a scoring system called the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) to help doctors identify when someone's symptoms may be caused by their nervous system being overly sensitive to pain signals. The study divided CSI scores into five levels—from subclinical to extreme—and confirmed that higher scores are associated with having more chronic conditions like fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, as well as higher levels of depression, sleep problems, and disability.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Differences in ME and CFS Symptomology in Patients with Normal and Abnormal Exercise Test Results.

McManimen, Stephanie L, Jason, Leonard A·International journal of neurology and neurotherapy·2017

This study looked at ME/CFS patients who had different results after exercise testing. Some patients showed abnormal test results and experienced severe post-exertional malaise (PEM)—that exhaustion and symptom flare-up after activity—while others had normal test results with milder PEM. The researchers found that patients with abnormal test results tended to be more disabled, experience worse PEM, and were more likely to be bedbound than those with normal results.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Unperturbed Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Phenotype and Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.

Theorell, Jakob, Bileviciute-Ljungar, Indre, Tesi, Bianca et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2017

Researchers tested whether immune cells called cytotoxic lymphocytes—which normally fight infections and respond to stress—work differently in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. They studied 48 ME/CFS patients and found that these immune cells looked and functioned normally, suggesting they are not responsible for ME/CFS symptoms. This means cytotoxic lymphocytes alone cannot be used as a simple blood test to diagnose the condition.

Immune System

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Evidence browser

Giardia-specific cellular immune responses in post-giardiasis chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cognitive remediation training improves performance in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Prevalence and factors associated with the use of acupuncture and Chinese medicine: results of a nationally representative survey of 17161 Australian women.

The assessment of fatigue: Psychometric qualities and norms for the Checklist individual strength.

Elevated brain natriuretic peptide levels in chronic fatigue syndrome associate with cardiac dysfunction: a case control study.

Medial prefrontal cortex deficits correlate with unrefreshing sleep in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fatigue in an adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder population: A trans-diagnostic approach.

Poor sleep quality is associated with greater circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and severity and frequency of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) symptoms in women.

Neuroendocrine disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Physio-somatic symptoms in schizophrenia: association with depression, anxiety, neurocognitive deficits and the tryptophan catabolite pathway.

Patterns of control beliefs in chronic fatigue syndrome: results of a population-based survey.

Heterogeneity in chronic fatigue syndrome - empirically defined subgroups from the PACE trial.

[Sleep disturbances - an important factor in combination 'minor' symptoms of multiple sclerosis].

Prefrontal Structure Varies as a Function of Pain Symptoms in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Are current chronic fatigue syndrome criteria diagnosing different disease phenotypes?

Whole blood gene expression in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome: an exploratory cross-sectional study suggesting altered B cell differentiation and survival.

Incidence rates of Guillain Barré (GBS), chronic fatigue/systemic exertion intolerance disease (CFS/SEID) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) prior to introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination among adolescent girls in Finland, 2002-2012.

Establishing Clinically Relevant Severity Levels for the Central Sensitization Inventory.

Differences in ME and CFS Symptomology in Patients with Normal and Abnormal Exercise Test Results.

Unperturbed Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Phenotype and Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.

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Biomarkers

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