ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2801–2820 of 6,160 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Evidence for T-helper 2 shift and association with illness parameters in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Torres-Harding, Susan, Sorenson, Matthew, Jason, Leonard A et al.·Bulletin of the IACFS/ME·2008

This study looked at immune system differences in people with ME/CFS by measuring two types of immune cells called Th1 and Th2. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS who had a stronger shift toward Th2 immune responses also reported worse sleep quality and had higher stress hormone levels in their saliva. This suggests that immune system imbalances might be connected to some of the troubling symptoms people with ME/CFS experience.

Immune System

E2 ModerateTrialPEM not requiredRCT

Breathing retraining in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study.

Nijs, Jo, Adriaens, Jan, Schuermans, Daniel et al.·Physiotherapy theory and practice·2008

This small study looked at whether some ME/CFS patients have a breathing pattern problem where their chest and belly don't move together smoothly (asynchronous breathing). Researchers found that about 1 in 4 ME/CFS patients had this pattern, and a single 20-30 minute breathing retraining session helped these patients breathe more slowly and deeply right after the session.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The associations between basal salivary cortisol and illness symptomatology in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Torres-Harding, Susan, Sorenson, Matthew, Jason, Leonard et al.·Journal of applied biobehavioral research·2008

This study looked at cortisol, a stress hormone, in 108 people with ME/CFS to see if abnormal cortisol levels were connected to symptoms like fatigue and pain. The researchers found that people with unusual cortisol patterns—especially those who didn't show the normal daily rise and fall—reported higher levels of fatigue. While abnormal cortisol appears linked to some ME/CFS symptoms, scientists still aren't sure whether this hormonal change causes the illness or results from it.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children aged 11 years old and younger.

Davies, S, Crawley, E·Archives of disease in childhood·2008

This study looked at young children under age 12 with ME/CFS at a specialist clinic in Bath, UK. The researchers found that even very young children (including one as young as 2 years old) can have ME/CFS and experience severe disability, with symptoms almost identical to those seen in teenagers. Children in this age group attended school only about 40% of the time on average and reported high levels of fatigue and pain.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

The relationship between prior psychiatric disorder and chronic fatigue: evidence from a national birth cohort study.

Harvey, S B, Wadsworth, M, Wessely, S et al.·Psychological medicine·2008

This study followed over 5,000 people from birth into their 50s to understand whether psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety occur before ME/CFS develops. Researchers found that people who experienced depression or anxiety between ages 15-36 were about 2.5 times more likely to develop ME/CFS later in life. The more severe the psychiatric symptoms were, the higher the risk of developing ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

The neural correlates of fatigue: an exploratory imaginal fatigue provocation study in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Caseras, X, Mataix-Cols, D, Rimes, K A et al.·Psychological medicine·2008

This study used brain imaging to see how the brains of ME/CFS patients respond when they imagine feeling fatigued, compared to healthy people. Researchers found that patients with ME/CFS showed different patterns of brain activity during fatigue scenarios—some areas lit up more, while others lit up less—suggesting their brains may react more intensely to fatigue and have difficulty controlling these responses.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Symptoms, impairment and illness intrusiveness--their relationship with depression in women with CFS/ME.

Dancey, Christine P, Friend, Julie·Psychology & health·2008

This study looked at how ME/CFS symptoms and daily limitations affect depression in women with the illness. The researchers found that ME/CFS is particularly intrusive—it disrupts many areas of life more than other chronic illnesses do. How much the illness disrupts daily life turned out to be the strongest predictor of whether someone develops depression, more so than the symptoms or impairments alone.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prefrontal cortex oxygenation during incremental exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Patrick Neary, J, Roberts, Andy D W, Leavins, Nina et al.·Clinical physiology and functional imaging·2008

This study measured oxygen levels in the brain during exercise in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. People with ME/CFS became exhausted much faster, at lower exercise levels, and showed lower oxygen and blood volume in their brain during and after exercise, suggesting that reduced blood flow to the brain may be part of what causes exercise problems in ME/CFS.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gait characteristics of subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome and controls at self-selected and matched velocities.

Paul, Lorna, Rafferty, Danny, Wood, Leslie et al.·Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2008

People with ME/CFS often walk differently than healthy people. Researchers tracked how 12 people with ME/CFS and 12 healthy controls walked, measuring their leg and ankle movements. People with ME/CFS walked slower and had different ankle movements, especially when walking at their own comfortable pace.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Validation of the energy index point score to serially measure the degree of disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lerner, A Martin, Beqaj, Safedin H, Fitzgerald, James T·In vivo (Athens, Greece)·2008

Researchers tested a simple scoring system called the Energy Index (EI) to measure fatigue severity in ME/CFS patients. They compared it to another well-known fatigue measurement tool (the Fatigue Severity Score) in 56 patients and found the two methods produced similar results. This suggests the Energy Index is a reliable way for doctors and patients to track how severe fatigue is and whether treatments are helping.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Low-grade inflammation and arterial wave reflection in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Spence, Vance A, Kennedy, Gwen, Belch, Jill J F et al.·Clinical science (London, England : 1979)·2008

This study found that people with ME/CFS have stiffer arteries and higher levels of inflammation and oxidative stress (cellular damage) compared to healthy people. These cardiovascular changes are associated with each other and may increase the risk of future heart problems in people with ME/CFS.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome and related disorders in UK veterans of the Gulf War 1990-1991: results from a two-phase cohort study.

Ismail, K, Kent, K, Sherwood, R et al.·Psychological medicine·2008

This study looked at whether Gulf War veterans had higher rates of ME/CFS and related conditions compared to other military personnel. Researchers surveyed over 10,000 military personnel and then closely examined disabled Gulf War veterans and similarly disabled veterans who served elsewhere. They found that Gulf War veterans were about 8 times more likely to meet the criteria for ME/CFS than veterans who were not deployed to the Gulf.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Deficits of interference control in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

van de Putte, Elise M, Böcker, Koen B, Buitelaar, Jan et al.·Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine·2008

This study looked at how well teenagers with ME/CFS could focus and filter out distractions compared to healthy teenagers. Researchers used brain activity tests to see if adolescents with ME/CFS had difficulty with tasks requiring concentration and filtering out irrelevant information. The findings suggest that ME/CFS in teenagers may affect how the brain controls attention and handles competing information.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Increase in prefrontal cortical volume following cognitive behavioural therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

de Lange, Floris P, Koers, Anda, Kalkman, Joke S et al.·Brain : a journal of neurology·2008

This study found that ME/CFS patients have less brain tissue volume in certain areas compared to healthy people, but this loss can partially reverse with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Patients who received CBT showed improvement in their symptoms, physical activity, and thinking speed, and their brain scans revealed increased grey matter volume in the prefrontal cortex (the front part of the brain involved in decision-making). This suggests that some of the brain changes seen in ME/CFS may not be permanent and could improve with effective treatment.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Exercise performance and chronic pain in chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of pain catastrophizing.

Nijs, Jo, Van de Putte, Karen, Louckx, Fred et al.·Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)·2008

This study looked at 36 women with ME/CFS who experience widespread pain to understand how their thoughts about pain (called 'pain catastrophizing'—expecting the worst and feeling helpless) relate to their actual pain levels, ability to exercise, and daily functioning. Researchers found that negative thinking patterns about pain were strongly connected to how much bodily pain patients reported and how much their condition limited their activities. The study suggests that addressing these thought patterns might be an important part of managing ME/CFS with pain.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Attentional bias towards health-threat information in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hou, Ruihua, Moss-Morris, Rona, Bradley, Brendan P et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2008

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS pay more attention to health-related threats compared to neutral information. Researchers used a simple computer task showing words and pictures related to health threats or neutral topics, and found that people with ME/CFS did indeed focus more on the health-threat information than healthy people did. This pattern of attention might help explain why some cognitive therapy approaches can be helpful for ME/CFS.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome after human parvovirus B19 infection without persistent viremia.

Seishima, Mariko, Mizutani, Yoko, Shibuya, Yoshinao et al.·Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland)·2008

This study looked at 210 patients who had parvovirus B19 infection to see how many developed ME/CFS afterward. Researchers found that the virus cleared from the bloodstream within 4-5 months in all patients tested, and having the virus stick around longer was not connected to developing CFS. However, patients who developed lasting symptoms did show persistently low immune protein (complement) levels, suggesting that ME/CFS after B19 may involve immune system changes rather than ongoing viral presence.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Immunoassay with cytomegalovirus early antigens from gene products p52 and CM2 (UL44 and UL57) detects active infection in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Beqaj, S H, Lerner, A M, Fitzgerald, J T·Journal of clinical pathology·2008

This study tested a new blood test method to detect active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in ME/CFS patients. The new test, called Copalis, was more sensitive than standard tests at finding signs of active CMV infection, detecting it in about 12% of CMV-exposed patients compared to only 2% with the older method. The researchers suggest this improved test could help identify a subset of ME/CFS patients who have active CMV infection.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome in male Gulf war veterans and civilians: a further test of the single syndrome hypothesis.

Ciccone, Donald S, Weissman, Lois, Natelson, Benjamin H·Journal of health psychology·2008

This study looked at whether ME/CFS is the same disease in everyone or if it might be different depending on how it starts. Researchers compared 45 male veterans with ME/CFS to 84 male civilians with ME/CFS and found some interesting differences: civilians were more likely to get ME/CFS suddenly (like after the flu), while veterans developed it differently. Civilians also had more fibromyalgia alongside their ME/CFS. These differences suggest that ME/CFS might not be one single disease affecting everyone the same way.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Lower frequency of IL-17F sequence variant (His161Arg) in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.

Metzger, Kristine, Frémont, Marc, Roelant, Chris et al.·Biochemical and biophysical research communications·2008

This study looked at a genetic variation in a protein called IL-17F that affects immune system inflammation. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients were less likely to carry a protective version of this genetic variant compared to healthy people. This suggests that the immune system's inflammatory response, particularly from a type of immune cell called Th17 cells, may play a role in ME/CFS.

Immune System

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Evidence browser

Evidence for T-helper 2 shift and association with illness parameters in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Breathing retraining in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study.

The associations between basal salivary cortisol and illness symptomatology in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children aged 11 years old and younger.

The relationship between prior psychiatric disorder and chronic fatigue: evidence from a national birth cohort study.

The neural correlates of fatigue: an exploratory imaginal fatigue provocation study in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Symptoms, impairment and illness intrusiveness--their relationship with depression in women with CFS/ME.

Prefrontal cortex oxygenation during incremental exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Gait characteristics of subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome and controls at self-selected and matched velocities.

Validation of the energy index point score to serially measure the degree of disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Low-grade inflammation and arterial wave reflection in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and related disorders in UK veterans of the Gulf War 1990-1991: results from a two-phase cohort study.

Deficits of interference control in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Increase in prefrontal cortical volume following cognitive behavioural therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Exercise performance and chronic pain in chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of pain catastrophizing.

Attentional bias towards health-threat information in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome after human parvovirus B19 infection without persistent viremia.

Immunoassay with cytomegalovirus early antigens from gene products p52 and CM2 (UL44 and UL57) detects active infection in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in male Gulf war veterans and civilians: a further test of the single syndrome hypothesis.

Lower frequency of IL-17F sequence variant (His161Arg) in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.

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