ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2181–2200 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Mortality of people with chronic fatigue syndrome: a retrospective cohort study in England and Wales from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Biomedical Research Centre (SLaM BRC) Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) Register.

Roberts, Emmert, Wessely, Simon, Chalder, Trudie et al.·Lancet (London, England)·2016

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS die at higher rates than the general population. Researchers examined medical records of 2,147 people diagnosed with ME/CFS in England and Wales over 7 years and found they did not have higher overall death rates. However, the study did find a concerning increase in deaths by suicide among people with ME/CFS, suggesting that mental health support is particularly important for this group.

E2 ModerateMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Antibodies to β adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Loebel, Madlen, Grabowski, Patricia, Heidecke, Harald et al.·Brain, behavior, and immunity·2016

Researchers tested whether ME/CFS patients have unusually high levels of antibodies (immune proteins) that attack nerve signaling receptors in the body. They found that about 30% of ME/CFS patients had elevated antibodies against certain receptors involved in adrenaline and acetylcholine signaling—chemicals that control heart rate, breathing, and other automatic body functions. Importantly, patients who received rituximab (a treatment that depletes B cells) and improved showed decreases in these antibody levels, suggesting a possible link between these antibodies and disease activity.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Comprehensively understanding fatigue in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Scherber, Robyn M, Kosiorek, Heidi E, Senyak, Zhenya et al.·Cancer·2016

This study surveyed nearly 1,800 people with myeloproliferative neoplasms (blood cancers) about their fatigue. Researchers found that fatigue was very common and severe, and it was worse in people who were overweight, used alcohol or tobacco, didn't exercise, or had other conditions like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. The study also found that many people with these blood cancers had depression, which was linked to their fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Tracking post-infectious fatigue in clinic using routine Lab tests.

Harvey, Jeanna M, Broderick, Gordon, Bowie, Alanna et al.·BMC pediatrics·2016

Researchers followed 301 teenagers who had infectious mononucleosis to see who would develop chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). They found that measuring common blood tests over 2 years—including stress hormones, sex hormones, and immune cell counts—might help doctors identify which patients are at risk and confirm the diagnosis. Only 4% of the teens developed CFS, but specific blood markers showed different patterns in those who did compared to those who recovered normally.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Genome-wide association analysis identifies genetic variations in subjects with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Schlauch, K A, Khaiboullina, S F, De Meirleir, K L et al.·Translational psychiatry·2016

Researchers compared the genes of people with ME/CFS to healthy people and found 442 genetic differences that may be linked to the condition. While most of these differences were in non-coding parts of the genome, some were in actual genes that produce proteins, including two that change how proteins work. Some genetic differences were found in genes related to the immune system's T-cells, which fight infection.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Outcomes and predictors of response from an optimised, multidisciplinary intervention for chronic fatigue states.

Sandler, C X, Hamilton, B A, Horsfield, S L et al.·Internal medicine journal·2016

This study tested a 12-week treatment program combining talk therapy (CBT) and supervised exercise for people with chronic fatigue. The program helped about 35% of patients feel significantly better, with improvements lasting at least 6 months. However, some patients (especially men and those with higher pain levels) were less likely to improve, and a small number actually felt worse.

Interventions

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptom-based phenotypes in two clinical cohorts of adult patients in the UK and The Netherlands.

Collin, Simon M, Nikolaus, Stephanie, Heron, Jon et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2016

This study looked at how ME/CFS symptoms vary from person to person by analyzing data from over 8,000 patients in the UK and Netherlands. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients fall into about 6 different groups based on which symptoms they experience—some have many symptoms, some mainly have pain, and others have very few symptoms beyond the core three (fatigue, brain fog, and sleep problems). Women and people who have been ill longer tended to have more symptoms overall.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Dry Eye Syndrome Risks in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A National Retrospective Cohort Study.

Chen, Chao-Hsien, Yang, Tse-Yen, Lin, Cheng-Li et al.·Medicine·2016

This study found that people with fibromyalgia are more likely to develop dry eye syndrome than people without fibromyalgia. Younger fibromyalgia patients (under 50) and those with sleep problems or other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome had even higher risks of developing dry eyes. The researchers used health insurance records from Taiwan to track over 25,000 fibromyalgia patients and compare them to over 100,000 people without fibromyalgia.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Cow's milk protein intolerance in adolescents and young adults with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Rowe, Peter C, Marden, Colleen L, Jasion, Samantha E et al.·Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)·2016

This study looked at whether young people with ME/CFS often have problems digesting cow's milk protein. Researchers found that about 1 in 3 young patients with ME/CFS had milk protein intolerance, which caused stomach problems like reflux and pain. When these patients stopped eating milk products, their stomach symptoms improved and their quality of life got better.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Autonomic correlations with MRI are abnormal in the brainstem vasomotor centre in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Barnden, Leighton R, Kwiatek, Richard, Crouch, Benjamin et al.·NeuroImage. Clinical·2016

This study examined whether blood pressure and heart rate patterns in ME/CFS patients are connected to differences in how their brains are structured or functioning. Researchers used 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and brain MRI scans in 25 ME/CFS patients and 25 healthy people, looking for correlations between the two. They found that ME/CFS patients showed unusual patterns in how their brainstem—the part of the brain that controls automatic functions like heart rate and blood pressure—communicated with other brain regions, suggesting a communication problem rather than structural damage.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The Relationship between Age and Illness Duration in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Kidd, Elizabeth, Brown, Abigail, McManimen, Stephanie et al.·Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)·2016

This study looked at how age and how long someone has had ME/CFS might affect their symptoms and daily functioning. Researchers divided patients into four groups based on whether they were younger or older than 55, and whether they'd had the illness for more or less than 10 years. Interestingly, older patients who had lived with ME/CFS for over 10 years reported better mental health functioning than the other groups, while younger patients with longer illness duration experienced worse immune and nervous system symptoms compared to older patients with similar illness duration.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

TauG-guidance of dynamic balance control during gait initiation in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Rasouli, Omid, Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin, Van der Meer, Audrey L H·Clinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon)·2016

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia balance themselves when they start to walk. Using special equipment that measures foot pressure, researchers found that patients with both conditions had more difficulty controlling their weight shift onto one foot compared to healthy people. This suggests that balance problems in these conditions aren't just about standing still—they also affect the dynamic movements needed for everyday activities like walking.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

[The influence of physical load on the propriate immune and physiological parameters.].

Milicková, M, Zákovská, A, Chlíbková, D·Ceskoslovenska fysiologie·2016

This study looked at how intense physical exercise affects the immune system by measuring antibodies (immune proteins) in ultramarathon runners before and after a race. The researchers found that two types of antibodies—IgA and IgG—increased after the race, suggesting that extreme physical stress temporarily changes how the immune system works. Understanding these changes may help explain why some people develop chronic fatigue after intense exercise.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Binocular Vision in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Godts, Daisy, Moorkens, Greta, Mathysen, Danny G P·The American orthoptic journal·2016

This study found that people with ME/CFS have differences in how their eyes work together compared to healthy people. Specifically, ME/CFS patients had weaker ability to focus both eyes on nearby objects, reduced eye convergence (bringing eyes together to focus), and a smaller range of accommodation (adjusting focus from far to near). The researchers suggest that ME/CFS patients may benefit from reading glasses or vision exercises earlier than other people.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Characteristics of patients contacting a center for undiagnosed and rare diseases.

Mueller, Tobias, Jerrentrup, Andreas, Bauer, Max Jakob et al.·Orphanet journal of rare diseases·2016

This study looked at 522 adults who visited a hospital center for help with diseases that hadn't been diagnosed yet. Most patients were women, and their main complaints were general weakness, joint pain, and stomach discomfort. The researchers found that many patients had been given diagnoses like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or irritable bowel syndrome—conditions where symptoms are real but hard to explain with standard medical tests.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Low putamen activity associated with poor reward sensitivity in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mizuno, Kei, Kawatani, Junko, Tajima, Kanako et al.·NeuroImage. Clinical·2016

This study looked at how the brains of children with ME/CFS respond to rewards compared to healthy children. Using brain imaging, researchers found that a brain region called the putamen (involved in motivation) showed less activity in children with ME/CFS, especially when facing smaller rewards. Lower activity in this area was linked to worse fatigue and less enjoyment from learning.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Variability of postural orthostatic tachycardia in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis and orthostatic intolerance.

Miwa, Kunihisa·Heart and vessels·2016

This study looked at how the hearts and nervous systems of 24 ME/CFS patients with orthostatic intolerance (dizziness or fatigue when standing) behaved on their "good days" versus "bad days." Researchers found that on bad days, patients' hearts raced more when standing up, they couldn't stand as long, and their hearts pumped less blood—suggesting their nervous systems were working abnormally, sometimes overactive and sometimes underactive.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Genetic evaluation of AMPD1, CPT2, and PGYM metabolic enzymes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Maltese, P E, Venturini, L, Poplavskaya, E et al.·Genetics and molecular research : GMR·2016

This study looked at three genes that help muscles produce energy during physical activity. The researchers compared these genes in 17 patients with ME/CFS and 50 healthy people to see if differences in these genes might explain why ME/CFS patients experience severe fatigue after exertion. The study found no significant genetic differences between the two groups, suggesting these particular genes are not responsible for causing ME/CFS.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearLongitudinal

Neurocognitive complaints and functional status among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Schmaling, Karen B, Betterton, Karran L·Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2016

This study followed 93 patients with ME/CFS over 18 months to understand how cognitive problems (like memory and perception difficulties) and physical function change over time. Patients who had both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia reported more pain, worse physical function, and more cognitive difficulties than those with ME/CFS alone. Interestingly, pain improved over time only for the ME/CFS-only group, suggesting that having both conditions may make recovery slower and more complicated.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Progressive brain changes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: A longitudinal MRI study.

Shan, Zack Y, Kwiatek, Richard, Burnet, Richard et al.·Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI·2016

This study used brain MRI scans taken 6 years apart to compare 15 ME/CFS patients with 10 healthy people. Researchers found that patients with ME/CFS had progressive shrinkage of white matter (the brain's communication pathways) in a specific region called the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, while healthy controls showed no change. The amount of brain shrinkage in ME/CFS patients correlated with their symptom severity.

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Evidence browser

Mortality of people with chronic fatigue syndrome: a retrospective cohort study in England and Wales from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Biomedical Research Centre (SLaM BRC) Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) Register.

Antibodies to β adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Comprehensively understanding fatigue in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Tracking post-infectious fatigue in clinic using routine Lab tests.

Genome-wide association analysis identifies genetic variations in subjects with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Outcomes and predictors of response from an optimised, multidisciplinary intervention for chronic fatigue states.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptom-based phenotypes in two clinical cohorts of adult patients in the UK and The Netherlands.

Dry Eye Syndrome Risks in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A National Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cow's milk protein intolerance in adolescents and young adults with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Autonomic correlations with MRI are abnormal in the brainstem vasomotor centre in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

The Relationship between Age and Illness Duration in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

TauG-guidance of dynamic balance control during gait initiation in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

[The influence of physical load on the propriate immune and physiological parameters.].

Binocular Vision in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Characteristics of patients contacting a center for undiagnosed and rare diseases.

Low putamen activity associated with poor reward sensitivity in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome.

Variability of postural orthostatic tachycardia in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis and orthostatic intolerance.

Genetic evaluation of AMPD1, CPT2, and PGYM metabolic enzymes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neurocognitive complaints and functional status among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Progressive brain changes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: A longitudinal MRI study.

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