ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2801–2820 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Demographic and clinical aspects of an Italian patient population with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Carlo-Stella, N, Cuccia, M·Reumatismo·2009

This Italian study surveyed patients diagnosed with ME/CFS to understand their symptoms and backgrounds. The researchers found that Italian patients with ME/CFS experience persistent fatigue along with symptoms that resemble infectious illnesses, neurological problems, and joint/muscle issues—similar to what has been reported in other countries.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome and DSM-IV personality disorders.

Courjaret, Joachime, Schotte, Christiaan K W, Wijnants, Herlindis et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2009

This study looked at whether ME/CFS patients have more personality disorders than people without ME/CFS. Researchers tested 50 women with ME/CFS and compared them to 50 healthy women and 50 women with psychiatric conditions. They found that women with ME/CFS had similar personality traits and rates of personality disorders as healthy women, suggesting that personality problems are not a major cause of ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A comparison of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome in two "ideologically" contrasting clinics.

Van Houdenhove, Boudewijn, Van Hoof, Elke, Becq, Katrien et al.·The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2009

This study compared ME/CFS patients from two Belgian clinics—one focused on biological causes and one on psychological/social factors. Researchers found that patients at both clinics were actually quite similar in terms of fatigue levels, mood problems, and confidence in managing their illness. However, patients who experienced a sudden illness onset and believed their condition was physical in nature were more likely to attend the biologically-focused clinic.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Are chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome valid clinical entities across countries and health-care settings?

Hickie, Ian, Davenport, Tracey, Vernon, Suzanne D et al.·The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2009

This large international study analyzed data from nearly 38,000 people across 21 countries to determine whether chronic fatigue and ME/CFS are real, recognizable conditions. Researchers found that people with these conditions share a consistent pattern of five main symptom types—muscle pain and fatigue, thinking difficulties, inflammation-related symptoms, sleep problems, and mood changes—regardless of where they live or which type of doctor they see. This consistency across different countries and healthcare settings provides strong evidence that chronic fatigue and ME/CFS are genuine medical conditions, not just psychiatric problems.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Association of peripheral inflammatory markers with chronic fatigue in a population-based sample.

Raison, Charles L, Lin, Jin-Mann S, Reeves, William C·Brain, behavior, and immunity·2009

Researchers measured inflammation markers in the blood of people with ME/CFS, people with fatigue that didn't quite meet ME/CFS criteria, and healthy controls. They found that inflammation markers were elevated in both fatigue groups compared to healthy people. However, when they accounted for factors like depression, weight, age, and medications, the connection to ME/CFS specifically became less clear, suggesting that general fatigue and unwellness—not ME/CFS alone—may be linked to immune activation.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Molecular study of receptor for advanced glycation endproduct gene promoter and identification of specific HLA haplotypes possibly involved in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Carlo-Stella, N, Bozzini, S, De Silvestri, A et al.·International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology·2009

This study looked at two genes related to inflammation in 75 Italian ME/CFS patients and compared them to 141 healthy controls. The researchers found that certain genetic variations in the RAGE gene and immune system genes called HLA were more common in ME/CFS patients, suggesting these genetic differences might increase risk for the condition. The findings suggest ME/CFS may involve inherited factors that affect how the immune system responds.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Association between school absence and physical function in paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy.

Crawley, E, Sterne, J A C·Archives of disease in childhood·2009

This study looked at how often children with ME/CFS attended school and how their physical abilities changed over time. Researchers found that 62% of children attended school 40% of the time or less, and those with better physical function were more likely to go to school. The study suggests that improving school attendance should focus on treatments that reduce fatigue and pain, not treatments for anxiety.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Illness perceptions in patients with fibromyalgia.

van Ittersum, M W, van Wilgen, C P, Hilberdink, W K H A et al.·Patient education and counseling·2009

This study looked at how people with fibromyalgia understand and perceive their illness by having 196 patients complete a questionnaire. The researchers found that fibromyalgia patients often feel confused about their condition, believe it will last a long time, and worry it will significantly impact their daily life. The questionnaire tool was found to be reliable for measuring these beliefs in Dutch-speaking fibromyalgia patients.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

A two-year follow-up study of chronic fatigue syndrome comorbid with psychiatric disorders.

Matsuda, Yasunori, Matsui, Tokuzo, Kataoka, Kouhei et al.·Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences·2009

This study followed 70 ME/CFS patients for two years to see how psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety affected their illness. About half the patients had these psychiatric conditions at the start. The good news: treating depression and anxiety appeared to help some patients recover from those conditions, and having psychiatric illness didn't make ME/CFS recovery worse or better.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Does depression mediate the relation between fatigue severity and disability in chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers?

Hadlandsmyth, Katherine, Vowles, Kevin E·Journal of psychosomatic research·2009

This study looked at how depression, fatigue, and disability are connected in people with ME/CFS. Researchers found that depression plays an important role in explaining why severe fatigue leads to disability—especially difficulties with social and emotional functioning. This suggests that treating depression alongside fatigue management might be important for improving quality of life.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Lower plasma Coenzyme Q10 in depression: a marker for treatment resistance and chronic fatigue in depression and a risk factor to cardiovascular disorder in that illness.

Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivanka, Kubera, Marta et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·2009

This study found that people with depression have lower levels of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a natural substance in the body that helps protect cells from damage, compared to healthy people. The researchers discovered that people with depression who don't respond well to treatment and those with chronic fatigue had even lower CoQ10 levels. This suggests that CoQ10 might play a role in why some people with depression feel persistently tired and why depression can increase heart disease risk.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Psychomotor functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive disorder: a comparative study.

Schrijvers, D, Van Den Eede, F, Maas, Y et al.·Journal of affective disorders·2009

This study compared how quickly people with ME/CFS and depression could complete two drawing tasks—one simple and one complex. Both patient groups worked more slowly than healthy people, but the pattern of slowness differed between the two conditions. People with depression were especially slow at simple motor tasks, while both patient groups struggled similarly with the more cognitively demanding task.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Physiological cost of walking in those with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): a case-control study.

Paul, Lorna, Rafferty, Danny, Marshal, Rebecca·Disability and rehabilitation·2009

This study compared how much energy people with ME/CFS use when walking compared to healthy people. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS walk more slowly and use more energy per unit of distance covered, meaning their bodies have to work harder to move the same distance as healthy people.

Energy MetabolismPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Electroencephalographic correlates of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Decker, Michael J, Tabassum, Humyra, Lin, Jin-Mann S et al.·Behavioral and brain functions : BBF·2009

This study looked at brain wave patterns during sleep in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls using a sleep study test. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had abnormal brain wave activity during different sleep stages, particularly weaker delta waves during deep sleep and weaker alpha waves during REM sleep. These findings suggest that the problem in ME/CFS may not be the structure of sleep itself, but rather how the brain regulates and maintains restorative sleep.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Anxiety in children with CFS/ME.

Crawley, Esther, Hunt, Linda, Stallard, Paul·European child & adolescent psychiatry·2009

This study looked at anxiety in children with ME/CFS and found that anxiety is common, especially in teenage girls. Researchers compared anxiety levels in 164 children with ME/CFS to healthy European children and found that 38% of teenage girls with ME/CFS had unusually high anxiety symptoms. Interestingly, anxiety levels did not seem to be connected to how much school the children attended or how severe their physical symptoms were.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

An assessment of prospective memory retrieval in women with chronic fatigue syndrome using a virtual-reality environment: an initial study.

Attree, Elizabeth A, Dancey, Christine P, Pope, Alison L·Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society·2009

This study examined memory problems in women with ME/CFS using a computer-based virtual environment. Researchers tested two types of memory: remembering things after they happen (like recalling a list of words) and remembering to do something in the future (like remembering to take medication). Women with ME/CFS showed noticeable difficulties with both types of memory, particularly with recalling information, though some future-memory tasks showed only subtle differences.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Diurnal pattern of cortisol output in postnatal depression.

Taylor, Alyx, Glover, Vivette, Marks, Maureen et al.·Psychoneuroendocrinology·2009

This study looked at how stress hormone (cortisol) levels change throughout the day in women with depression after having a baby, compared to women without postpartum depression and non-pregnant women. The researchers found that depressed women had unusually high cortisol levels when they woke up and didn't show the normal increase in cortisol that typically happens 30 minutes after waking, which is similar to patterns seen in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach.

Chia, J K S, Chia, A Y·Journal of clinical pathology·2008

This study examined stomach biopsies from 165 ME/CFS patients to look for enterovirus (a type of virus) because many patients report stomach problems. Researchers found that 82% of ME/CFS patients had signs of enterovirus in their stomach cells, compared to only 20% of healthy control patients. Some patients tested positive for the virus years apart, suggesting a persistent infection rather than a one-time illness.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sexual dysfunction as related to severity of fatigue in women with CFS.

Blazquez, A, Ruiz, E, Vazquez, A et al.·Journal of sex & marital therapy·2008

This study looked at whether sexual function problems are connected to fatigue severity in women with ME/CFS. Researchers compared 27 women with ME/CFS to 15 healthy women and used questionnaires to measure sexual satisfaction, interest, and comfort. They found that women with more severe fatigue reported more sexual problems, including less satisfaction, avoiding sexual activity, and viewing sex negatively.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Memory for fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: the relation between weekly recall and momentary ratings.

Friedberg, Fred, Sohl, Stephanie J·International journal of behavioral medicine·2008

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS remember their fatigue levels compared to what they report in the moment. Over three weeks, 71 participants rated their fatigue six times daily using electronic diaries, then recalled their fatigue levels at the end of each week. The researchers found that people's weekly memories of fatigue were higher than their day-to-day ratings, but the two measures still matched moderately well overall.

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Demographic and clinical aspects of an Italian patient population with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and DSM-IV personality disorders.

A comparison of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome in two "ideologically" contrasting clinics.

Are chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome valid clinical entities across countries and health-care settings?

Association of peripheral inflammatory markers with chronic fatigue in a population-based sample.

Molecular study of receptor for advanced glycation endproduct gene promoter and identification of specific HLA haplotypes possibly involved in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Association between school absence and physical function in paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy.

Illness perceptions in patients with fibromyalgia.

A two-year follow-up study of chronic fatigue syndrome comorbid with psychiatric disorders.

Does depression mediate the relation between fatigue severity and disability in chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers?

Lower plasma Coenzyme Q10 in depression: a marker for treatment resistance and chronic fatigue in depression and a risk factor to cardiovascular disorder in that illness.

Psychomotor functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive disorder: a comparative study.

Physiological cost of walking in those with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): a case-control study.

Electroencephalographic correlates of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Anxiety in children with CFS/ME.

An assessment of prospective memory retrieval in women with chronic fatigue syndrome using a virtual-reality environment: an initial study.

Diurnal pattern of cortisol output in postnatal depression.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach.

Sexual dysfunction as related to severity of fatigue in women with CFS.

Memory for fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: the relation between weekly recall and momentary ratings.

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