ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2041–2060 of 6,188 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Chronic prostatitis and comorbid non-urological overlapping pain conditions: A co-twin control study.

Gasperi, Marianna, Krieger, John N, Forsberg, Christopher et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2017

This study looked at men who had chronic prostate pain and found that many of them also had other long-term pain conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers used twins to figure out how much of this overlap was due to shared genes versus shared life experiences. They found that while family factors explained some of the connection, these pain conditions remained linked even after accounting for genetics and environment.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

RNA-Seq Analysis of Gene Expression, Viral Pathogen, and B-Cell/T-Cell Receptor Signatures in Complex Chronic Disease.

Bouquet, Jerome, Gardy, Jennifer L, Brown, Scott et al.·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2017

Researchers used genetic testing to compare blood samples from people with ME/CFS and a similar condition called alternative Lyme disease to healthy controls and people with lupus. They looked for differences in gene activity, immune cell patterns, and viral infections. Surprisingly, they found no major differences in gene activity between ME/CFS patients and healthy people, though they did find differences in lupus patients as expected.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Stress vulnerability in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: experimental study investigating heart rate variability and skin conductance responses.

Rimes, Katharine A, Lievesley, Kate, Chalder, Trudie·Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines·2017

This study looked at how adolescents with ME/CFS respond to stress compared to young people with asthma and healthy teenagers. Researchers measured physical stress responses (heart rate and skin sweating) while young people gave a speech. Adolescents with ME/CFS showed signs of being more stressed before, during, and after the task, and their bodies took longer to calm down afterward compared to the other groups.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Activity patterns in response to symptoms in patients being treated for chronic fatigue syndrome: An experience sampling methodology study.

Band, Rebecca, Barrowclough, Christine, Caldwell, Kim et al.·Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association·2017

This study looked at how 23 people with ME/CFS change their activity levels in response to their symptoms throughout the day. Researchers had participants use an app on their phones to report their fatigue, pain, mood, and activity patterns 10 times per day for 6 days. They found that when symptoms got worse, people tended to either do less activity or swing between doing too much and then crashing—patterns that may keep the illness going.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Vitamin D status in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a cohort study from the North-West of England.

Earl, Kate E, Sakellariou, Giorgos K, Sinclair, Melanie et al.·BMJ open·2017

This study investigated whether low vitamin D levels contribute to the fatigue experienced by people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared 92 ME/CFS patients with 94 healthy controls and found that ME/CFS patients actually had higher vitamin D levels, often because they were taking vitamin D supplements. Importantly, there was no connection between vitamin D levels and how fatigued patients felt, suggesting that vitamin D deficiency is not a cause of ME/CFS fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Brain 18F-FDG PET Metabolic Abnormalities in Patients with Long-Lasting Macrophagic Myofascitis.

Van Der Gucht, Axel, Aoun Sebaiti, Mehdi, Guedj, Eric et al.·Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine·2017

This study used a special type of brain scan (PET imaging) to look for energy metabolism problems in the brains of people with macrophagic myofascitis, a condition involving immune cell buildup in muscles. Researchers found that MMF patients had lower energy use in multiple brain regions compared to healthy people, and this pattern was especially pronounced in patients who also had thinking and memory problems.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Down-regulation of renin-aldosterone and antidiuretic hormone systems in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Miwa, Kunihisa·Journal of cardiology·2017

This study found that ME/CFS patients have smaller hearts and lower levels of certain hormones that control blood volume and fluid balance compared to healthy people. When researchers gave half the ME/CFS patients a synthetic hormone called desmopressin for five days, about half of them felt better, with less dizziness when standing and improved ability to do daily activities.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Differences in alexithymia and emotional awareness in exhaustion syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Maroti, Daniel, Molander, Peter, Bileviciute-Ljungar, Indre·Scandinavian journal of psychology·2017

This study looked at how people with Exhaustion Syndrome and ME/CFS differ in how they experience and identify their emotions. Researchers tested 31 people with Exhaustion Syndrome, 38 with ME/CFS, and 30 healthy people using emotion-recognition tests and questionnaires about emotional awareness. The results showed that both groups had some difficulty with emotions, but in slightly different ways—people with ME/CFS had more trouble actually identifying what they were feeling in a performance test, while people with Exhaustion Syndrome mainly reported difficulty on a self-assessment questionnaire.

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 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Trends in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia in the UK, 2001-2013: a Clinical Practice Research Datalink study.

Collin, Simon M, Bakken, Inger J, Nazareth, Irwin et al.·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·2017

This study looked at how often ME/CFS and fibromyalgia were diagnosed in UK general practices between 2001 and 2013 using medical records. The researchers found that ME/CFS diagnoses decreased over time, while fibromyalgia diagnoses increased. Interestingly, people in poorer areas were less likely to be diagnosed with ME/CFS but more likely to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia compared to people in wealthier areas.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Can physical assessment techniques aid diagnosis in people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A diagnostic accuracy study.

Hives, Lucy, Bradley, Alice, Richards, Jim et al.·BMJ open·2017

Researchers tested whether five simple physical examination techniques could help doctors quickly identify ME/CFS. They examined 52 people with ME/CFS and 42 people without the condition, using trained practitioners to check for specific physical signs like spine problems and tender points. The study found that two of these physical signs were reliable and accurate enough to potentially help with diagnosis, suggesting that quick physical checks might be a useful screening tool.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Nguyen, Chinh Bkrong, Ludviksen, Judith Anita et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2017

This study tested whether a protein called TGF-β, which helps regulate immune and stress responses, was elevated in adolescents with ME/CFS. Researchers compared blood levels of TGF-β in 120 young ME/CFS patients to 68 healthy controls and found the protein levels were actually the same in both groups. However, they discovered that in ME/CFS patients, TGF-β levels were connected to stress hormones and fatigue severity, suggesting it may play a role in how the illness affects the body even if it's not simply 'too high.'

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Examining those Meeting IOM Criteria Versus IOM Plus Fibromyalgia.

Jason, Leonard A, McManimen, Stephanie, Sunnquist, Madison et al.·Neurology (E-Cronicon)·2017

This study compared two groups of people with ME/CFS: those who met the official Institute of Medicine diagnostic criteria, and those who met those same criteria plus also had fibromyalgia (a condition involving widespread pain and tender points). The researchers found that patients with both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia experienced more severe symptoms and greater functional impairment across many areas than those with ME/CFS alone.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Specialist treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/ME: a cohort study among adult patients in England.

Collin, Simon M, Crawley, Esther·BMC health services research·2017

This study looked at how 952 ME/CFS patients fared after receiving treatment at 11 specialist NHS clinics in England. One year after starting treatment, about 27% felt much better, 37% felt a little better, but 20% felt the same or worse. Even 2-5 years later, 85% of patients still had ME/CFS symptoms, showing that this is a long-lasting condition that often continues despite specialist care.

Pain and SensitizationSleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Well-being in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Relationship to Symptoms and Psychological Distress.

Jackson, H, MacLeod, A K·Clinical psychology & psychotherapy·2017

This study looked at well-being in people with ME/CFS, not just focusing on what's wrong, but also on what's right. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had lower well-being than healthy people, especially in areas like personal growth, feeling in control of life, and self-acceptance. Importantly, well-being was more connected to emotional and psychological symptoms than to physical fatigue itself, suggesting that treating the emotional side of living with ME/CFS might be just as important as treating the fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gross and fine motor function in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Rasouli, Omid, Fors, Egil A, Borchgrevink, Petter Chr et al.·Journal of pain research·2017

This study compared how quickly people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia could start moving when they heard a sound, and how well they could do precise hand movements compared to healthy people. Both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia groups were slower to start walking in response to the sound, though their fine hand movements were similar to healthy controls. The results suggest that ME/CFS and fibromyalgia may affect the speed of starting movement, but not the precision of hand tasks.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not required

Research Volunteers' Attitudes Toward Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Nehrke, Pamela I, Fox, Pamela A, Jason, Leonard A·Neurology (E-Cronicon)·2017

This study looked at whether learning about ME/CFS reduces negative stereotypes about the illness. College students who volunteered for ME/CFS research projects showed less stigmatizing attitudes compared to students working on unrelated projects. The findings suggest that education and accurate information about ME/CFS can help reduce the harmful misconceptions many people hold about this serious medical condition.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Current Safety Concerns with Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: A Cluster Analysis of Reports in VigiBase®.

Chandler, Rebecca E, Juhlin, Kristina, Fransson, Jonas et al.·Drug safety·2017

Researchers analyzed thousands of reports from a global database of side effects following HPV vaccination. They found that certain combinations of symptoms—headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and fainting—were reported more often after HPV vaccination than with other vaccines, particularly in young women. These symptom clusters resemble conditions like POTS, CRPS, and chronic fatigue syndrome, though most reports did not include an official diagnosis.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Fecal metagenomic profiles in subgroups of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nagy-Szakal, Dorottya, Williams, Brent L, Mishra, Nischay et al.·Microbiome·2017

This study looked at the bacteria living in the gut of 50 ME/CFS patients and 50 healthy people to see if differences in gut bacteria might explain some ME/CFS symptoms. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients have unusual patterns of gut bacteria, and these patterns are different depending on whether the patient also has irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Importantly, the type and balance of gut bacteria were linked to how severe patients' fatigue, pain, and other symptoms were.

BiomarkersEnergy Metabolism

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

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Chronic prostatitis and comorbid non-urological overlapping pain conditions: A co-twin control study.

RNA-Seq Analysis of Gene Expression, Viral Pathogen, and B-Cell/T-Cell Receptor Signatures in Complex Chronic Disease.

Stress vulnerability in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: experimental study investigating heart rate variability and skin conductance responses.

Activity patterns in response to symptoms in patients being treated for chronic fatigue syndrome: An experience sampling methodology study.

Vitamin D status in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a cohort study from the North-West of England.

Brain 18F-FDG PET Metabolic Abnormalities in Patients with Long-Lasting Macrophagic Myofascitis.

Down-regulation of renin-aldosterone and antidiuretic hormone systems in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Differences in alexithymia and emotional awareness in exhaustion syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

Trends in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia in the UK, 2001-2013: a Clinical Practice Research Datalink study.

Can physical assessment techniques aid diagnosis in people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A diagnostic accuracy study.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

Examining those Meeting IOM Criteria Versus IOM Plus Fibromyalgia.

Specialist treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/ME: a cohort study among adult patients in England.

Well-being in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Relationship to Symptoms and Psychological Distress.

Gross and fine motor function in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Research Volunteers' Attitudes Toward Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Current Safety Concerns with Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: A Cluster Analysis of Reports in VigiBase®.

Fecal metagenomic profiles in subgroups of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neuroendocrine disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.

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