ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2861–2880 of 6,188 studies

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Catastrophizing and causal beliefs in whiplash.

Buitenhuis, J, de Jong, P J, Jaspers, J P C et al.·Spine·2008

This study looked at how people's thoughts and beliefs affect recovery from neck injuries caused by car accidents. Researchers found that people who catastrophize (expect the worst) about their pain and who believe their symptoms are caused by 'whiplash' tend to have longer-lasting problems, even when their initial injury was not severe. The study followed 140 people for a year after their accidents to see how their beliefs influenced their recovery.

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 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sympathetic cardiovascular control during orthostatic stress and isometric exercise in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Saul, J Philip, Walløe, Lars et al.·European journal of applied physiology·2008

This study looked at how the bodies of adolescents with ME/CFS respond to physical stress, specifically when lying down while pressure is applied to the legs and while squeezing a hand grip. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had higher heart rates and stress hormone levels even at rest, and their cardiovascular system overreacted to the leg pressure test but underreacted during the hand grip exercise compared to healthy teenagers.

Autonomic Nervous System

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 requiredLongitudinal

Etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome: testing popular hypotheses using a national birth cohort study.

Harvey, Samuel B, Wadsworth, Michael, Wessely, Simon et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·2008

This study followed nearly 5,000 people from birth into their 50s to understand what causes ME/CFS. Researchers found that people who exercised more throughout their life—and continued exercising even as they felt increasingly tired—were more likely to develop ME/CFS later on. The study suggests that continuing to push yourself physically while experiencing growing fatigue may play a role in developing this condition.

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

[Estimation of fatigue state in patient with CFS using actigraph and R-R interval power spectrum analysis].

Tajima, Seiki, Kuratsune, Hirohiko, Yamaguti, Kouzi et al.·Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine·2007

This study measured activity levels and sleep patterns in people with ME/CFS using wearable devices and heart rate analysis. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had lower activity during waking hours, slept longer, experienced more frequent sleep disruptions, and showed abnormal nervous system activity during sleep compared to healthy people.

SleepAutonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sympathetic predominance of cardiovascular regulation during mild orthostatic stress in adolescents with chronic fatigue.

Wyller, Vegard B, Saul, J P, Amlie, Jan P et al.·Clinical physiology and functional imaging·2007

This study looked at how the nervous system controls the heart and blood vessels in teenagers with ME/CFS when their bodies experience mild stress (tilting on a bed). Researchers found that adolescents with ME/CFS showed an exaggerated sympathetic nervous system response—meaning their "fight or flight" system kicked in too strongly compared to healthy teenagers. This suggests the body's automatic control of heart rate and blood pressure may not work normally in ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Exercise testing in children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Takken, T, Henneken, T, van de Putte, E et al.·International journal of sports medicine·2007

This study tested how well 20 young people with ME/CFS could exercise on a stationary bike and measured their oxygen use. The researchers found that most of these young people had similar exercise capacity to healthy peers their age, though a smaller group showed reduced fitness. The amount of fatigue they experienced was related to how active they were in daily life.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Incidence, prognosis, and risk factors for fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents: a prospective community study.

Rimes, Katharine A, Goodman, Robert, Hotopf, Matthew et al.·Pediatrics·2007

This study followed 842 British teenagers aged 11-15 for 4-6 months to see how common tiredness and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were and what factors might make them more likely. About 30% of teens developed new fatigue during the study, while less than 1% developed chronic fatigue or CFS. Importantly, most teens who had CFS at the start of the study felt better by the follow-up visit, suggesting that CFS in adolescents often improves over time. Teens with anxiety, depression, or behavior problems were more likely to develop fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

A real-time assessment of the effect of exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Yoshiuchi, Kazuhiro, Cook, Dane B, Ohashi, Kyoko et al.·Physiology & behavior·2007

This study looked at what happens to people with ME/CFS after they exercise, tracking their symptoms in real-time using a watch-like computer for a week before and two weeks after exercise. The main finding was that physical symptoms like pain and fatigue got worse in ME/CFS patients, but this didn't happen right away—it took about five days to appear. Interestingly, mental symptoms and thinking abilities didn't show the same delayed worsening pattern that physical symptoms did.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms and haplotypes associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Rajeevan, M S, Smith, A K, Dimulescu, I et al.·Genes, brain, and behavior·2007

This study looked at whether differences in a specific gene (the glucocorticoid receptor gene) might affect who develops ME/CFS. Researchers compared 40 people with ME/CFS to people without the illness and found that certain genetic variations were more common in those with ME/CFS. This gene is involved in how the body manages stress through a system called the HPA axis, which may be disrupted in ME/CFS.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Usefulness of an abnormal cardiovascular response during low-grade head-up tilt-test for discriminating adolescents with chronic fatigue from healthy controls.

Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Due, Reidar, Saul, J Philip et al.·The American journal of cardiology·2007

This study tested how the hearts of adolescents with ME/CFS respond to mild physical stress (tilting the body slightly upright for 15 minutes) compared to healthy teenagers. Researchers found that young people with ME/CFS had abnormal heart and blood vessel responses during this test—their hearts beat faster, their blood pressure increased more, and their stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per heartbeat) decreased more than in healthy controls. These differences suggest that ME/CFS involves problems with how the body regulates blood flow and heart function during even mild stress.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep quality perception in the chronic fatigue syndrome: correlations with sleep efficiency, affective symptoms and intensity of fatigue.

Neu, Daniel, Mairesse, Olivier, Hoffmann, Guy et al.·Neuropsychobiology·2007

ME/CFS patients often report feeling like they have poor sleep quality, even though doctors cannot always find obvious problems when measuring sleep objectively. This study compared how ME/CFS patients and healthy people rated their own sleep quality and found that ME/CFS patients consistently reported worse sleep, despite having similar sleep efficiency measurements. The poor sleep quality perception was somewhat linked to fatigue severity but not related to depression or anxiety symptoms.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

[Multiple chemical sensitivity: study of 52 cases].

Nogué, Santiago, Fernández-Solá, Joaquim, Rovira, Elisabet et al.·Medicina clinica·2007

This study looked at 52 patients with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)—a condition where people react badly to everyday chemicals like pesticides and cleaning products. Most patients were middle-aged women, and about 60% developed MCS after a workplace chemical exposure. The researchers found that people with MCS often have very similar symptoms to chronic fatigue syndrome, and while their condition stayed stable over time, it significantly reduced their quality of life.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Health status and health care utilization of multiple sclerosis in Canada.

Pohar, Sheri L, Jones, C Allyson, Warren, Sharon et al.·The Canadian journal of neurological sciences. Le journal canadien des sciences neurologiques·2007

This Canadian study compared people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) to people without MS to understand how the disease affects their daily lives and health care needs. People with MS reported much worse overall health, were far more likely to experience fatigue and urinary problems, and had greater health care utilization. The study found that MS significantly burdens patients' quality of life and that their health care needs were often not being met.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Low-resolution electromagnetic brain tomography (LORETA) of monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sherlin, Leslie, Budzynski, Thomas, Kogan Budzynski, Helen et al.·NeuroImage·2007

Researchers used a special brain scanning technique called LORETA to measure electrical activity in the brains of identical twins—one with ME/CFS and one without. They found that twins with ME/CFS had different patterns of brain activity in specific regions, particularly in areas related to mood, energy management, and the nervous system's stress response. This suggests that ME/CFS may involve measurable differences in how certain parts of the brain function.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Functioning in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome: increased impairment with co-occurring multiple chemical sensitivity and fibromyalgia.

Brown, Molly M, Jason, Leonard A·Dynamic medicine : DM·2007

This study looked at 114 people with ME/CFS to see how often they also had fibromyalgia or multiple chemical sensitivity, and whether having more than one condition made their symptoms worse. The researchers found that about 44% had ME/CFS alone, while others had it combined with one or both of the other conditions. People with all three conditions were the most disabled and had the hardest time with daily activities compared to those with ME/CFS alone.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Higher heart rate and reduced heart rate variability persist during sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: a population-based study.

Boneva, Roumiana S, Decker, Michael J, Maloney, Elizabeth M et al.·Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical·2007

This study found that people with ME/CFS have a faster heart rate and less heart rate variability (natural changes in heartbeat speed) during sleep compared to healthy people. These differences suggest that the nervous system in ME/CFS patients stays more activated even during sleep, which may be related to chemical imbalances in the body.

SleepAutonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The experience of cancer-related fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: a qualitative and comparative study.

Bennett, Barbara, Goldstein, David, Friedlander, Michael et al.·Journal of pain and symptom management·2007

This study compared how fatigue affects women with cancer-related fatigue (after breast cancer treatment) versus women with ME/CFS. Both groups described very similar experiences: exhaustion, problems with thinking and memory, and mood changes. Women with ME/CFS also reported muscle pain and flu-like symptoms more often. The researchers found that these two conditions share a common set of disabling symptoms, suggesting they may involve similar underlying causes despite different triggers.

Cognitive Impairment

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Catastrophizing and causal beliefs in whiplash.

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

Sympathetic cardiovascular control during orthostatic stress and isometric exercise in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

Etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome: testing popular hypotheses using a national birth cohort study.

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

[Estimation of fatigue state in patient with CFS using actigraph and R-R interval power spectrum analysis].

Sympathetic predominance of cardiovascular regulation during mild orthostatic stress in adolescents with chronic fatigue.

Exercise testing in children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Incidence, prognosis, and risk factors for fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents: a prospective community study.

A real-time assessment of the effect of exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms and haplotypes associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Usefulness of an abnormal cardiovascular response during low-grade head-up tilt-test for discriminating adolescents with chronic fatigue from healthy controls.

Sleep quality perception in the chronic fatigue syndrome: correlations with sleep efficiency, affective symptoms and intensity of fatigue.

[Multiple chemical sensitivity: study of 52 cases].

Health status and health care utilization of multiple sclerosis in Canada.

Low-resolution electromagnetic brain tomography (LORETA) of monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Functioning in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome: increased impairment with co-occurring multiple chemical sensitivity and fibromyalgia.

Higher heart rate and reduced heart rate variability persist during sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: a population-based study.

The experience of cancer-related fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: a qualitative and comparative study.

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