ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2821–2840 of 6,160 studies

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 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Predictors of persistent and new-onset fatigue in adolescent girls.

ter Wolbeek, Maike, van Doornen, Lorenz J P, Kavelaars, Annemieke et al.·Pediatrics·2008

This study followed 653 teenage girls over one year to understand why some develop long-lasting fatigue while others recover. Researchers found that about 26% of girls who were severely fatigued at the start remained fatigued throughout the year. Depression, anxiety, low physical activity, and poor sleep were linked to persistent or new fatigue, suggesting that emotional health and lifestyle habits play important roles in fatigue development.

Sleep

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals.

Thompson, Elizabeth A, Mathie, Robert T, Baitson, Elizabeth S et al.·Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy·2008

This study collected information from five NHS homeopathic hospitals in the UK to understand what conditions patients were being treated for and whether they felt better. Researchers recorded data from nearly 1,800 patient visits over 4 weeks, including what health problems patients had and whether they noticed improvements in their daily life. Among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), about 59% reported meaningful improvements in their daily functioning after 6 or more appointments.

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 not requiredObservational

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is an under-recognized condition in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hoad, A, Spickett, G, Elliott, J et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·2008

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have a condition called POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), which causes the heart to beat much faster when standing up. Researchers tested 59 ME/CFS patients and compared them to 52 healthy people, measuring heart rate changes when they stood up. They found that 27% of ME/CFS patients had POTS, compared to only 9% of healthy controls, suggesting this condition is common but often missed in ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Neurocognitive and functional outcomes in persons recovering from West Nile virus illness.

Sejvar, James J, Curns, Aaron T, Welburg, Leonie et al.·Journal of neuropsychology·2008

This study looked at 54 people who had recovered from West Nile virus infection about 1.5 years after getting sick. Researchers tested their memory, thinking skills, and quality of life. They found that half of the mildly ill patients and three-quarters of those with more severe illness still had ongoing symptoms and problems with daily functioning, even though most performed normally on formal cognitive tests.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

The economic impact of ME/CFS: individual and societal costs.

Jason, Leonard A, Benton, Mary C, Valentine, Lisa et al.·Dynamic medicine : DM·2008

This study looked at how much money ME/CFS costs both individual patients and society as a whole in the United States. Researchers examined medical bills, test costs, and medication expenses for ME/CFS patients in two different groups. They found that ME/CFS is very expensive—costing between $2,000 and $8,600 per patient per year in direct medical costs alone, and billions of dollars to society when you include lost work and productivity.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

A longitudinal study of the relationship between psychological distress and recurrence of upper respiratory tract infections in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Faulkner, Susan, Smith, Andrew·British journal of health psychology·2008

This study tracked 21 ME/CFS patients and 18 healthy people over 15 weeks to see if stress affects how often they catch colds and respiratory infections. ME/CFS patients caught infections much more frequently than healthy people, and importantly, high stress levels in one week predicted who would get sick the next week. The same stress also made their fatigue symptoms worse.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Functional incapacity and physical and psychological symptoms: how they interconnect in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Priebe, Stefan, Fakhoury, Walid K H, Henningsen, Peter·Psychopathology·2008

This study asked whether the difficulty ME/CFS patients have doing daily activities is mainly caused by physical symptoms rather than emotional or psychological problems. Researchers surveyed 73 ME/CFS patients and analyzed their responses using statistical methods. They found that physical symptoms and loss of functioning clustered together as one main problem, while psychological symptoms formed a separate group, suggesting that the loss of ability to function is a core feature of ME/CFS driven primarily by physical symptoms.

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 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic pain and fatigue: Associations with religion and spirituality.

Baetz, M, Bowen, R·Pain research & management·2008

This study looked at whether religion and spiritual beliefs affect how people experience chronic pain and fatigue, including ME/CFS. Using data from over 37,000 Canadians, researchers found that people who actively practice religion had fewer chronic pain and fatigue symptoms, while those who were spiritual but didn't attend religious services were more likely to have these conditions. People with chronic pain and fatigue often used prayer and spiritual support to cope, and those combining both religion and spirituality reported better emotional well-being.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The prevalence of generalized soft tissue rheumatic conditions in Turkish medical students.

Eyigor, Sibel, Ozdedeli, Selcen, Durmaz, Berrin·Journal of clinical rheumatology : practical reports on rheumatic & musculoskeletal diseases·2008

This study looked at how common soft tissue pain conditions—including fibromyalgia, muscle pain, and joint hypermobility—are among medical students in Turkey. Researchers found that about 1 in 5 students had one of these conditions, with women affected much more often than men. Students with these conditions reported lower quality of life, especially in physical functioning and energy levels.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Attenuated morning salivary cortisol concentrations in a population-based study of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome and well controls.

Nater, Urs M, Maloney, Elizabeth, Boneva, Roumiana S et al.·The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism·2008

This study looked at cortisol, a hormone released by the body in the morning to help us wake up and manage stress. Researchers compared cortisol levels in people with ME/CFS to healthy people and found that ME/CFS patients, especially women, had lower morning cortisol levels than expected. This suggests the hormone system that controls cortisol may not be working normally in ME/CFS.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Neuropsychological performance in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study.

Majer, Matthias, Welberg, Leonie A M, Capuron, Lucile et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2008

This study compared thinking and motor skills in people with ME/CFS to healthy controls using computerized tests. People with ME/CFS showed slower reaction times and had more difficulty with memory tasks that involve holding and manipulating information in mind. These differences held up even after excluding people with psychiatric conditions or those taking medications that affect thinking.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Association of comorbid mood disorders and chronic illness with disability and quality of life in Ontario, Canada.

Gadalla, T·Chronic diseases in Canada·2008

This study found that people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and certain digestive disorders are especially likely to also have mood disorders like depression and anxiety. When people with chronic illnesses develop these mood problems, their disability worsens significantly and they have more difficulty with daily activities. The researchers suggest that doctors should routinely screen patients with chronic illnesses for mood disorders, since treating them may improve overall quality of life.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Reduced plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels are significantly correlated with fatigue severity in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Ahboucha, Samir, Pomier-Layrargues, Gilles, Vincent, Catherine et al.·Neurochemistry international·2008

This study looked at a hormone called DHEAS in patients with a liver disease called primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The researchers found that patients with PBC who experienced fatigue had lower DHEAS levels than healthy people, and the lower the DHEAS, the more severe their fatigue was. This suggests that low DHEAS might be one reason why some liver patients feel exhausted, and raising DHEAS levels might help reduce their fatigue.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Negotiating the diagnostic uncertainty of contested illnesses: physician practices and paradigms.

Swoboda, Debra A·Health (London, England : 1997)·2008

This study surveyed 800 U.S. doctors to understand how they diagnose ME/CFS and similar illnesses that lack clear lab tests or agreed-upon causes. Researchers found that many doctors do diagnose these conditions, even without complete scientific consensus, by using practical strategies like consulting expert resources, ordering specific tests, and considering how the body might be affected. The study shows that doctors can rationally diagnose ME/CFS by using thoughtful decision-making processes, and that patients may benefit from seeing doctors who use these careful diagnostic approaches.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Normalization of leaky gut in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is accompanied by a clinical improvement: effects of age, duration of illness and the translocation of LPS from gram-negative bacteria.

Maes, Michael, Leunis, Jean-Claude·Neuro endocrinology letters·2008

This study tested whether taking natural anti-inflammatory supplements (glutamine, N-acetyl cysteine, and zinc) along with a special diet could help ME/CFS patients whose intestines had become too permeable ("leaky gut"). Researchers measured immune markers in the blood before and after 10-14 months of treatment and found that 24 out of 41 patients improved significantly, with the best results in younger patients and those with shorter illness duration.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue among Spanish- and English-speaking Latinos.

Torres-Harding, Susan R, Mason-Shutter, Jennifer, Jason, Leonard A·Social work in public health·2008

This study looked at fatigue levels in Latino communities in Chicago, comparing people who speak English at home with those who speak Spanish at home. Researchers found that English-speaking Latinos reported higher levels of fatigue than Spanish-speaking Latinos. The difference remained even after accounting for other factors like age, income, and education, suggesting that cultural factors related to language and adaptation to a new country may play a role in how severe fatigue becomes.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not required

Characteristics of the formation of chronic fatigue syndrome and approaches to its treatment in young patients with focal brain damage.

Boiko, A N, Batysheva, T T, Matvievskaya, O V et al.·Neuroscience and behavioral physiology·2007

This study looked at why people with brain injuries (from multiple sclerosis, stroke, infection, or trauma) develop severe fatigue. Researchers tested 50 patients and gave half of them a medication called Fezam to see if it would help. The medication reduced fatigue symptoms, especially in MS patients, with few side effects.

Interventions

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

Predictors of persistent and new-onset fatigue in adolescent girls.

Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals.

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

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is an under-recognized condition in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neurocognitive and functional outcomes in persons recovering from West Nile virus illness.

The economic impact of ME/CFS: individual and societal costs.

A longitudinal study of the relationship between psychological distress and recurrence of upper respiratory tract infections in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Functional incapacity and physical and psychological symptoms: how they interconnect in chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

Chronic pain and fatigue: Associations with religion and spirituality.

The prevalence of generalized soft tissue rheumatic conditions in Turkish medical students.

Attenuated morning salivary cortisol concentrations in a population-based study of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome and well controls.

Neuropsychological performance in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study.

Association of comorbid mood disorders and chronic illness with disability and quality of life in Ontario, Canada.

Reduced plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels are significantly correlated with fatigue severity in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Negotiating the diagnostic uncertainty of contested illnesses: physician practices and paradigms.

Normalization of leaky gut in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is accompanied by a clinical improvement: effects of age, duration of illness and the translocation of LPS from gram-negative bacteria.

Fatigue among Spanish- and English-speaking Latinos.

Characteristics of the formation of chronic fatigue syndrome and approaches to its treatment in young patients with focal brain damage.

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