ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

241–260 of 277 studies

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation and fibromyalgia.

Gilula, Marshall F·Expert review of medical devices·2007

This review examines cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), a treatment that uses mild electrical stimulation applied to the head to help manage fibromyalgia pain and related symptoms. While CES is not a cure-all, research suggests it may help some fibromyalgia patients feel better. The review also discusses how fibromyalgia often occurs alongside other conditions like anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and fatigue—symptoms that overlap with ME/CFS.

Pain and SensitizationSleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Possible mechanisms of the formation of chronic fatigue syndrome in the clinical picture of multiple sclerosis.

Kasatkin, D S, Spirin, N N·Neuroscience and behavioral physiology·2007

This study examined why people with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience severe fatigue. The researchers identified different types of fatigue—exhaustion at rest, excessive tiredness after activity, and worsening fatigue during MS flare-ups—and explored how brain chemistry, hormones, immune system problems, and sleep issues might all contribute to this fatigue.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome in children and adolescents].

Galanopoulos, Ng, Kampakis, Gp, Ladopoulou, Kf·Psychiatrike = Psychiatriki·2007

This review discusses fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children and teenagers, noting that both conditions are fairly common in this age group. Patients with these conditions experience widespread muscle pain, exhaustion, depression, headaches, and sleep problems that can significantly impact school, family life, and overall development. The authors emphasize that early diagnosis and treatment combining medication, physical therapy, and psychological support are important for helping young people manage these conditions.

Pain and SensitizationSleep

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredObservational

[Sleep disturbance in chronic fatigue syndrome].

Kumano-go, Takayuki, Adachi, Hiroyoshi, Sugita, Yoshiro·Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine·2007

This study looked at sleep problems in ME/CFS patients using a special laser device to measure blood flow patterns during sleep. The researchers found that different ME/CFS patients showed different types of abnormal sleep patterns, suggesting that ME/CFS may actually be several different conditions rather than one single illness. Sleep disturbances like insomnia, oversleeping, and irregular sleep-wake cycles are common in ME/CFS.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Efficacy of neurotropin in chronic fatigue syndrome: a case report.

Toda, Katsuhiro, Kimura, Hiroaki·Hiroshima journal of medical sciences·2006

This case report describes one 28-year-old man with ME/CFS who was treated with a medication called Neurotropin (four tablets daily). His fatigue and widespread pain began improving within a week, and his sleep, focus, and memory improved within two weeks. He stopped taking the medication after 11 weeks and remained symptom-free for at least 5 months afterward.

Pain and SensitizationSleepCognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Brief and distinct empirical sleepiness and fatigue scales.

Bailes, Sally, Libman, Eva, Baltzan, Marc et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2006

Doctors and patients often use the words 'sleepiness' and 'fatigue' interchangeably, but they actually describe different experiences. This study created two short, separate questionnaires—one to measure sleepiness (the urge to sleep) and one to measure fatigue (overall exhaustion)—by pulling items from existing popular fatigue and sleepiness scales. Testing these new scales on people with ME/CFS, narcolepsy, and healthy controls showed they measure distinct conditions that may respond to different treatments.

SleepDiagnostics

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

The challenge of integrating disparate high-content data: epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data collected during an in-hospital study of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Vernon, Suzanne D, Reeves, William C·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers invited people with ME/CFS, people with other unexplained fatigue illnesses, and healthy controls to stay in a hospital for 2 days. During the visit, they measured brain chemicals, nervous system function, immune markers, and gene activity. A team of 20 scientists from different fields worked together to find new ways to understand all this information and look for biological markers that might explain ME/CFS.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

The effects of repeated thermal therapy for two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Masuda, Akinori, Kihara, Takashi, Fukudome, Tsuyoshi et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2005

This study followed two ME/CFS patients who tried a type of heat therapy called far-infrared sauna (heated to 60°C) combined with warming afterward. After about 15-25 sessions, both patients reported major improvements in fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and fever. They continued the therapy once or twice a week for a year and did not get worse, even after stopping their previous medication.

Pain and SensitizationSleep

E3 PreliminaryPEM not required

Working under daylight intensity lamp: an occupational risk for developing circadian rhythm sleep disorder?

Doljansky, J T, Kannety, H, Dagan, Y·Chronobiology international·2005

A 47-year-old man with chronic fatigue syndrome developed a severely disrupted sleep-wake cycle after 20 years of working under very bright lights (used for diamond grading) often late into the night. When he switched to treatment combining melatonin at bedtime, bright light therapy in the morning, and avoiding bright light at night, his sleep pattern stabilized and his daytime tiredness improved significantly within one week.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Magnesium depletion with hypo- or hyper- function of the biological clock may be involved in chronopathological forms of asthma.

Durlach, J, Pagès, N, Bac, P et al.·Magnesium research·2005

This paper proposes that low magnesium levels combined with disrupted biological clocks (your body's natural 24-hour rhythm) may contribute to asthma that gets worse at night. The authors suggest that magnesium depletion is different from simple magnesium deficiency—it involves a deeper dysregulation that cannot be fixed by supplements alone. They propose two subtypes based on whether the biological clock is overactive (linked to nighttime asthma) or underactive (linked to daytime symptoms).

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Fibromyalgia: a stress disorder? Piecing the biopsychosocial puzzle together.

Van Houdenhove, Boudewijn, Egle, Ulrich T·Psychotherapy and psychosomatics·2004

This review article explores whether stress might be a root cause of fibromyalgia, a condition with widespread pain and fatigue that overlaps significantly with chronic fatigue syndrome. The authors examine how the body's stress response system works and how stress-related changes might lead to abnormal pain sensitivity and other fibromyalgia symptoms. They propose that fibromyalgia could be understood as a stress-related disorder involving both physical and psychological factors.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredObservational

Learning and memorization impairment in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome manifesting as school phobia in Japan.

Miike, Teruhisa, Tomoda, Akemi, Jhodoi, Takako et al.·Brain & development·2004

This study followed children with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in Japan over 15 years to understand why they experience severe tiredness and difficulty learning and remembering information. The researchers found that these children had problems with their autonomic nervous system (the automatic system controlling heart rate, temperature, and digestion), disrupted sleep-wake cycles similar to jet lag, and reduced blood flow to certain brain areas. Understanding these patterns may help explain why learning becomes so difficult for children with CFS.

SleepCognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

[Fibromyalgia syndrome].

Siegmeth, Walter·Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)·2003

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a real medical condition that causes widespread pain and should be diagnosed using clear, established criteria. Research suggests it may involve problems with the nervous system, hormonal systems, and pain control pathways in the brain. Treatment works best when it combines information and education, physical therapy, and sometimes medication, rather than relying on drugs alone.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion with hypofunction or with hyperfunction of the biological clock.

Durlach, J, Pagès, N, Bac, P et al.·Magnesium research·2002

This paper suggests that low magnesium levels may disrupt the body's internal clock (circadian rhythm) in two opposite ways. In one pattern, the clock runs too fast, causing depression, nighttime headaches, and fatigue—similar to symptoms in ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. In the other pattern, the clock runs too slow, causing anxiety, migraines, and sleep problems. The authors propose that measuring melatonin levels could help distinguish between these two patterns and guide treatment.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Biorhythms and possible central regulation of magnesium status, phototherapy, darkness therapy and chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion.

Durlach, Jean, Pagès, Nicole, Bac, Pierre et al.·Magnesium research·2002

This paper proposes that magnesium deficiency may be linked to disrupted circadian rhythms (biological clocks) and could contribute to several conditions including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and sleep problems. The authors suggest that light therapy, dark therapy, and magnesium supplementation may help by affecting the body's internal clock and natural sleep hormone production.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Decreased tryptophan availability but normal post-synaptic 5-HT2c receptor sensitivity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Vassallo, C M, Feldman, E, Peto, T et al.·Psychological medicine·2001

This study examined whether people with ME/CFS have oversensitive serotonin receptors in the brain, which could explain some of their symptoms. Researchers gave patients and healthy people a drug that directly activates serotonin receptors and measured the response. They found that both groups responded similarly, suggesting the problem in ME/CFS is not overly sensitive receptors but rather increased serotonin activity from nerve cells themselves. Interestingly, people with ME/CFS had lower levels of tryptophan (a building block for serotonin) in their blood.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

[Use of local negative pressure in combination with electric sleep or Charcot's douche for treatment of erectile dysfunctions].

Karpukhin, I V·Voprosy kurortologii, fizioterapii, i lechebnoi fizicheskoi kultury·2001

This study looked at 43 men with erectile dysfunction linked to stress, anxiety, and chronic fatigue. Researchers combined three treatments: a device that uses negative pressure, electric sleep therapy, and a water treatment called Charcot's douche. The combination appeared to help improve sexual function in men whose problems were caused by psychological stress rather than physical causes.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in fibromyalgia.

Korszun, A·Current rheumatology reports·2000

Fibromyalgia is a condition causing widespread muscle pain along with sleep problems and extreme tiredness. This review examines how broken sleep patterns and disrupted body clocks (which control things like stress hormones) play a role in fibromyalgia. The authors suggest that treating sleep disorders, depression, and improving sleep habits—along with careful use of medications—may help relieve symptoms.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

[Genioglossal advancement in the surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adults].

Foltán, R, Sonka, K·Sbornik lekarsky·2000

This case report describes a 68-year-old woman with severe sleep apnea (a condition where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep) who also had symptoms of chronic fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and morning headaches. Because she couldn't tolerate the standard breathing mask treatment due to anxiety, she had surgery to widen her airway. After surgery, her sleep apnea improved significantly and her fatigue and other symptoms improved.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Nefazodone for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hickie, I·The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·1999

This small study looked at whether a medication called nefazodone could help ME/CFS patients feel better. Ten patients took the drug and also received advice about sleep and behavioral strategies. Most patients reported some improvement in tiredness, sleep problems, and mood, and half were able to return to work or their normal activities.

Sleep

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Cranial electrotherapy stimulation and fibromyalgia.

Possible mechanisms of the formation of chronic fatigue syndrome in the clinical picture of multiple sclerosis.

[Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome in children and adolescents].

[Sleep disturbance in chronic fatigue syndrome].

Efficacy of neurotropin in chronic fatigue syndrome: a case report.

Brief and distinct empirical sleepiness and fatigue scales.

The challenge of integrating disparate high-content data: epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data collected during an in-hospital study of chronic fatigue syndrome.

The effects of repeated thermal therapy for two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Working under daylight intensity lamp: an occupational risk for developing circadian rhythm sleep disorder?

Magnesium depletion with hypo- or hyper- function of the biological clock may be involved in chronopathological forms of asthma.

Fibromyalgia: a stress disorder? Piecing the biopsychosocial puzzle together.

Learning and memorization impairment in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome manifesting as school phobia in Japan.

[Fibromyalgia syndrome].

Chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion with hypofunction or with hyperfunction of the biological clock.

Biorhythms and possible central regulation of magnesium status, phototherapy, darkness therapy and chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion.

Decreased tryptophan availability but normal post-synaptic 5-HT2c receptor sensitivity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Use of local negative pressure in combination with electric sleep or Charcot's douche for treatment of erectile dysfunctions].

Sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in fibromyalgia.

[Genioglossal advancement in the surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adults].

Nefazodone for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

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