ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3141–3160 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness among Gulf War veterans: a population-based survey of 30,000 veterans.

Kang, Han K, Natelson, Benjamin H, Mahan, Clare M et al.·American journal of epidemiology·2003

This study compared Gulf War veterans to non-deployed veterans and found that those who served in the Gulf War had much higher rates of both PTSD and a condition resembling ME/CFS. Interestingly, while PTSD risk increased steadily with exposure to combat stress, ME/CFS-like illness only became more common at lower stress levels, suggesting that factors beyond stress alone may have caused the fatigue condition in Gulf War veterans.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Comparing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome in a community-based versus tertiary care sample.

Jason, Leonard A, Plioplys, Audrius V, Torres-Harding, Susan et al.·Journal of health psychology·2003

This study compared ME/CFS symptoms between two groups of patients: those who sought care at major medical centers and those found in the general community. Researchers found that people being treated at tertiary care hospitals reported experiencing more symptoms than community members with ME/CFS. This suggests that the people typically studied in research may not represent all people living with ME/CFS.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

First-night effect in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Le Bon, Olivier, Minner, Pierre, Van Moorsel, Cédric et al.·Psychiatry research·2003

When people with ME/CFS spend a night in a sleep lab, their sleep patterns often change between the first and second night—a phenomenon called the 'first-night effect.' This study found that ME/CFS patients do experience this adaptation effect, where sleep measurements like total sleep time and sleep quality improve on the second night. Understanding this pattern helps doctors interpret sleep test results more accurately.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome: comparison of a protocol and computerised questionnaires.

Prins, J B, Elving, L D, Koning, H et al.·The Netherlands journal of medicine·2003

This study looked at whether doctors and researchers using a computer questionnaire agreed on who has ME/CFS. They reviewed 516 patients with chronic fatigue and found that doctors and researchers agreed about 84% of the time. When they disagreed, it was usually because they couldn't agree on how severe the fatigue was or how much it affected daily life. Only 3% of patients had a physical medical condition that explained their fatigue.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Psychosocial factors in chronic fatigue syndrome among Chinese Americans: a longitudinal community-based study.

Lim, Brian R, Tan, Siang-Yang, Zheng, Yan-Ping et al.·Transcultural psychiatry·2003

This study followed 57 Chinese Americans with ME/CFS for one year to understand what helps people recover. The researchers found that people who got better had experienced less stress in their lives compared to those who didn't recover. The study also suggested that having social support from friends and family might help by reducing the stress people feel.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Comorbid illness in women with chronic fatigue syndrome: a test of the single syndrome hypothesis.

Ciccone, Donald S, Natelson, Benjamin H·Psychosomatic medicine·2003

This study looked at 163 women with ME/CFS to see whether having other conditions like fibromyalgia or chemical sensitivities alongside ME/CFS made their illness different. About a third of the women had fibromyalgia, and another third had chemical sensitivities. The main finding was that women with multiple conditions were more likely to have depression than those with ME/CFS alone, but otherwise their symptoms and disability levels were fairly similar.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Rupture of silicone gel breast implants and symptoms of pain and fatigue.

Vermeulen, Ruud C W, Scholte, Hans R·The Journal of rheumatology·2003

This study looked at women with silicone breast implants to see if their symptoms matched those of ME/CFS patients. Researchers found that women whose implants had ruptured reported more severe fatigue, pain, and memory problems than those with intact implants. While the symptom patterns differed somewhat from typical ME/CFS, rupture of the implant was associated with worsening of fatigue and pain symptoms.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

The economic cost of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in UK primary care.

McCrone, P, Darbishire, L, Ridsdale, L et al.·Psychological medicine·2003

This study looked at how much money ME/CFS costs patients and society in the UK. Researchers tracked what healthcare services patients used over 3 months and how much work they missed. They found that ME/CFS is very expensive, costing an average of £3,515 per patient over 3 months, mostly because patients need help from family and friends and can't work, rather than from doctor visits and medical treatments.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Illness perceptions and levels of disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

Moss-Morris, Rona, Chalder, Trudie·Journal of psychosomatic research·2003

This study compared how people with ME/CFS and people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) view their illnesses and how disabled they feel. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS believe their symptoms are caused by a virus or immune problem, think their symptoms affect more areas of daily life, and report greater difficulty with work and social activities compared to RA patients—even though both groups have similar levels of physical disability.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue and organophosphate pesticides in sheep farming: a retrospective study amongst people reporting to a UK pharmacovigilance scheme.

Tahmaz, N, Soutar, A, Cherrie, J W·The Annals of occupational hygiene·2003

This study looked at sheep farmers in the UK who reported health problems they believed were caused by pesticides used in sheep dipping. Researchers wanted to know if repeated exposure to these pesticides was linked to chronic fatigue. They found that fatigue was very common among farmers who thought pesticides affected their health, and there was some association between higher pesticide exposure and higher fatigue scores, though the evidence was limited.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Distinguishing patients with chronic fatigue from those with chronic fatigue syndrome: a diagnostic study in UK primary care.

Darbishire, L, Ridsdale, L, Seed, P T·The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·2003

This study looked at 141 people in UK doctor's offices who came in with fatigue lasting six months or longer. The researchers found that about two-thirds had chronic fatigue that didn't quite meet the official ME/CFS definition, while one-third had ME/CFS. People with ME/CFS had more severe symptoms, were more likely to be depressed and unemployed, and visited their doctor much more often than those with chronic fatigue alone.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Differences between patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and with chronic fatigue at an infectious disease clinic in Stockholm, Sweden.

Evengård, Birgitta, Jonzon, Eva, Sandberg, Anneli et al.·Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences·2003

This study compared two groups of people with severe, long-lasting fatigue seen at an infectious disease clinic in Sweden: those who met criteria for ME/CFS and those with chronic fatigue (CF) but not ME/CFS. The main finding was that ME/CFS patients reported more physical symptoms and work disability, and most had a sudden onset following an infection, whereas CF patients had more mental health symptoms and a more gradual, burnout-like pattern. The researchers suggest these may be two different conditions with different underlying causes.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue, burnout, and chronic fatigue syndrome among employees on sick leave: do attributions make the difference?

Huibers, M J H, Beurskens, A J H M, Prins, J B et al.·Occupational and environmental medicine·2003

This study compared three types of fatigue conditions in workers on sick leave: general persistent fatigue, burnout, and ME/CFS. Researchers found that workers whose fatigue matched ME/CFS patterns tended to blame physical causes for their illness, while workers with burnout tended to blame psychological causes. Interestingly, workers with fatigue shared many similarities with diagnosed ME/CFS patients, but how they explained their illness differed between groups.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Assessment of cardiovascular reactivity by fractal and recurrence quantification analysis of heart rate and pulse transit time.

Naschitz, J E, Rosner, I, Shaviv, N et al.·Journal of human hypertension·2003

Researchers tested how the hearts of people with ME/CFS respond to a simple physical challenge (tilting from lying down to sitting up). They measured heart rate and blood vessel responses using advanced mathematical analysis that detects patterns typically missed by standard methods. People with ME/CFS showed very different heart responses compared to healthy people and those with high blood pressure, suggesting their cardiovascular systems react abnormally to physical stress.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

A population-based study of the clinical course of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nisenbaum, Rosane, Jones, James F, Unger, Elizabeth R et al.·Health and quality of life outcomes·2003

This study followed 65 people with ME/CFS for up to 3 years to understand how the illness changes over time. Most people experienced periods where symptoms improved (called remission), though only 10% had complete and lasting improvement. The study found that people who had been sick for 2 years or less were more likely to recover, and that sleep problems remained a major issue even when other symptoms improved.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Functional status of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome in the Wichita, Kansas, population.

Solomon, Laura, Nisenbaum, Rosane, Reyes, Michele et al.·Health and quality of life outcomes·2003

This study surveyed people in Wichita, Kansas to understand how ME/CFS affects daily life and work. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS were just as impaired in their ability to work and do activities as people whose fatigue came from other medical or psychiatric conditions, and all of them had much less energy than people without fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep and chronic pain: challenges to the alpha-EEG sleep pattern as a pain specific sleep anomaly.

Rains, Jeanetta C, Penzien, Donald B·Journal of psychosomatic research·2003

Researchers looked at a brain wave pattern during sleep called alpha-EEG, which has been thought to be linked to chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. They found that this sleep pattern was uncommon (only 5% of patients) and occurred in people with chronic pain, psychiatric conditions, and other medical problems. Surprisingly, less than 40% of people with this sleep pattern actually had chronic pain, suggesting the pattern alone does not cause pain.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children: a cross sectional survey.

Patel, M X, Smith, D G, Chalder, T et al.·Archives of disease in childhood·2003

This study looked at 36 children with ME/CFS who were seen at a specialist clinic in England. Most children improved significantly or returned to normal health, and those who received treatment attended school more often. However, about one-third of children left school without any qualifications, showing that ME/CFS can seriously disrupt education even when health improves.

Interventions

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Experimental evidence for interpretive but not attention biases towards somatic information in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Moss-Morris, Rona, Petrie, Keith J·British journal of health psychology·2003

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS interpret ambiguous words and sounds. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients were more likely to interpret unclear words in a physical/health-related way compared to healthy people, and this tendency was linked to how many symptoms they reported. However, the study did not find that ME/CFS patients were more distracted by illness-related words on a color-naming task.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Fatigue in a community sample of twins.

Sullivan, P F, Kovalenko, P, York, T P et al.·Psychological medicine·2003

This study looked at fatigue that interferes with daily life in nearly 8,000 twins to understand what causes it. The researchers found that fatigue is connected to many different things—including depression, anxiety, stress, and how people view their health—but not always in the same way for everyone. The study suggests that fatigue is not one simple condition but rather several different types with different underlying causes.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness among Gulf War veterans: a population-based survey of 30,000 veterans.

Comparing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome in a community-based versus tertiary care sample.

First-night effect in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome: comparison of a protocol and computerised questionnaires.

Psychosocial factors in chronic fatigue syndrome among Chinese Americans: a longitudinal community-based study.

Comorbid illness in women with chronic fatigue syndrome: a test of the single syndrome hypothesis.

Rupture of silicone gel breast implants and symptoms of pain and fatigue.

The economic cost of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in UK primary care.

Illness perceptions and levels of disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

Chronic fatigue and organophosphate pesticides in sheep farming: a retrospective study amongst people reporting to a UK pharmacovigilance scheme.

Distinguishing patients with chronic fatigue from those with chronic fatigue syndrome: a diagnostic study in UK primary care.

Differences between patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and with chronic fatigue at an infectious disease clinic in Stockholm, Sweden.

Fatigue, burnout, and chronic fatigue syndrome among employees on sick leave: do attributions make the difference?

Assessment of cardiovascular reactivity by fractal and recurrence quantification analysis of heart rate and pulse transit time.

A population-based study of the clinical course of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Functional status of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome in the Wichita, Kansas, population.

Sleep and chronic pain: challenges to the alpha-EEG sleep pattern as a pain specific sleep anomaly.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children: a cross sectional survey.

Experimental evidence for interpretive but not attention biases towards somatic information in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fatigue in a community sample of twins.

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