ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3241–3260 of 6,161 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A biochemical analysis of people with chronic fatigue who have Irlen Syndrome: speculation concerning immune system dysfunction.

Robinson, G L, McGregor, N R, Roberts, T K et al.·Perceptual and motor skills·2001

This study looked at 61 people with ME/CFS to see if they also had a visual processing problem called Irlen Syndrome (where certain patterns and lighting cause visual discomfort). Researchers found that people with more severe visual problems had different levels of certain fats and amino acids in their blood and urine compared to those with milder visual symptoms. The authors suggest these differences might show signs of immune system activation, possibly from an infection.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Intraindividual variability in cognitive performance in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fuentes, K, Hunter, M A, Strauss, E et al.·The Clinical neuropsychologist·2001

This study tested how well 14 people with ME/CFS and 16 healthy people could perform thinking tasks over 10 weeks. While the ME/CFS group completed tasks more slowly, they were just as accurate. The key finding was that people with ME/CFS showed much more inconsistency in their performance from week to week—sometimes doing better, sometimes worse—even when doing the same type of task.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Quantitative assessment of cerebral ventricular volumes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lange, G, Holodny, A I, DeLuca, J et al.·Applied neuropsychology·2001

This study looked at brain scans from people with ME/CFS to measure the size of fluid-filled spaces (ventricles) in their brains. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had slightly larger ventricles compared to healthy controls, suggesting there may be subtle physical changes in the brains of some ME/CFS patients. While this difference was close to being statistically significant, it provides another piece of evidence that ME/CFS involves measurable brain changes.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Thirteen-year follow-up of children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Bell, D S, Jordan, K, Robinson, M·Pediatrics·2001

This study followed 35 children and teenagers who developed ME/CFS, checking in with them about 13 years after they first got sick. Most participants (80%) felt they had recovered or were doing reasonably well by the follow-up, though many still had some lingering symptoms. However, about 20% remained significantly ill with ongoing fatigue and activity limitations a decade and a half later.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Discriminating between chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: a cognitive analysis.

Moss-Morris, R, Petrie, K J·Psychological medicine·2001

This study compared how people with ME/CFS think and feel about their illness compared to people with depression and healthy people. The researchers found that people with ME/CFS and people with depression have different thought patterns: people with depression tend to blame themselves and doubt their worth, while people with ME/CFS focus on their physical symptoms, see themselves as sick, and tend to rest more to manage their condition. These different thinking patterns stayed consistent over 6 months and were linked to how much disability and fatigue people experienced.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Information processing in chronic fatigue syndrome: a preliminary investigation of suggestibility.

DiClementi, J D, Schmaling, K B, Jones, J F·Journal of psychosomatic research·2001

This study looked at how the brain processes information in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS reported more symptoms and were more easily influenced by suggestions, but they actually performed similarly to healthy people on memory and thinking tests. The findings suggest that how our brains automatically process information and respond to suggestions may affect how much people feel their thinking is impaired.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Circadian rhythm of core body temperature in subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hamilos, D L, Nutter, D, Gershtenson, J et al.·Clinical physiology (Oxford, England)·2001

Researchers wanted to know if ME/CFS might be caused by broken internal body clocks, similar to jet lag. They measured core body temperature continuously in 10 ME/CFS patients and 10 healthy controls over 48 hours and analyzed the patterns. The body temperature rhythms in ME/CFS patients looked almost identical to healthy people, suggesting a disrupted body clock is unlikely to be the main cause of ME/CFS symptoms.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Assessment of pentachlorophenol-exposed timber workers using a test-of-poisoning model.

Gorman, D, Monigatti, J, Glass, B et al.·International journal of occupational and environmental health·2001

This study looked at 62 former timber workers in New Zealand who were exposed to a toxic chemical called pentachlorophenol (PCP) during their jobs. Researchers found that some workers developed a cluster of symptoms including fever, headaches, breathing problems, and skin issues, while others developed a long-lasting fatigue that started while they were still working. However, the researchers concluded that these fatigue syndromes didn't clearly match what doctors expect from PCP poisoning, and many other factors could have caused the symptoms.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Multiple chemical sensitivity and chronic fatigue syndrome in British Gulf War veterans.

Reid, S, Hotopf, M, Hull, L et al.·American journal of epidemiology·2001

This study looked at how often ME/CFS and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS—a condition where people react badly to everyday chemicals) occurred in British military personnel who served in the Gulf War. Researchers compared three groups: those deployed to the Gulf, those sent to Bosnia, and those who served during the Gulf War period but weren't deployed. They found that both conditions were more common in Gulf veterans, and MCS was strongly linked to pesticide exposure.

Pain and Sensitization

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Autoantibodies to a 68/48 kDa protein in chronic fatigue syndrome and primary fibromyalgia: a possible marker for hypersomnia and cognitive disorders.

Nishikai, M, Tomomatsu, S, Hankins, R W et al.·Rheumatology (Oxford, England)·2001

Researchers tested blood samples from ME/CFS and fibromyalgia patients to look for specific antibodies (immune proteins) that might be unique to these conditions. They found that about 13% of ME/CFS patients and 16% of fibromyalgia patients had antibodies against a protein called 68/48 kDa. Importantly, patients with these antibodies were more likely to experience severe sleep problems, memory issues, and trouble concentrating.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: an international study.

Hardt, J, Buchwald, D, Wilks, D et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2001

This study measured how ME/CFS affects daily life and well-being in patients from the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. Researchers found that patients in all three countries experienced very similar impacts on their quality of life—significantly worse than healthy people across most areas measured, including physical function, emotional health, and energy levels. The findings suggest that ME/CFS affects people similarly regardless of where they live.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Urinary free cortisol in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cleare, A J, Blair, D, Chambers, S et al.·The American journal of psychiatry·2001

This study measured a stress hormone called cortisol in the urine of people with ME/CFS and compared it to healthy controls. The researchers found that people with ME/CFS had lower cortisol levels than expected. This difference was consistent across the patient group and wasn't explained by depression, medications, sleep problems, or disability levels.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Interpretation of symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Dendy, C, Cooper, M, Sharpe, M·Behaviour research and therapy·2001

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS interpret their physical symptoms—whether they tend to see them as signs of physical illness versus emotional stress. Researchers gave patients with ME/CFS, depression, multiple sclerosis, and healthy people a questionnaire about how they understand their symptoms. They found that people with ME/CFS were more likely to attribute their symptoms to physical causes and less likely to see them as related to emotional feelings, even compared to MS patients.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Symptom factor analysis, clinical findings, and functional status in a population-based case control study of Gulf War unexplained illness.

Bourdette, D N, McCauley, L A, Barkhuizen, A et al.·Journal of occupational and environmental medicine·2001

Researchers surveyed over 2,000 Gulf War veterans and conducted detailed medical exams on 443 of them to look for unexplained health symptoms. They found that many veterans experienced overlapping symptoms—including cognitive problems, fatigue, and muscle pain—that resembled conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, but they found few clear physical differences between sick and healthy veterans.

Pain and SensitizationCognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Frequency of attendance in general practice and symptoms before development of chronic fatigue syndrome: a case-control study.

Hamilton, W T, Hall, G H, Round, A P·The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·2001

This study looked at whether people who later developed ME/CFS visited their doctor more often in the 15 years before they got sick. Researchers compared 49 ME/CFS patients with 49 similar people who didn't develop the condition, reviewing their medical records. They found that people who developed ME/CFS had visited their GP significantly more often and reported more various symptoms, particularly respiratory infections, tiredness, and dizziness, suggesting that illness behavior or symptom reporting patterns may play a role in how the condition develops.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Sexual abuse, physical abuse, chronic fatigue, and chronic fatigue syndrome: a community-based study.

Taylor, R R, Jason, L A·The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2001

This study looked at whether childhood abuse (sexual or physical) was more common in adults with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers surveyed a random sample from the community and found that while abuse history was linked to other types of chronic fatigue conditions, it was actually less common in people diagnosed with ME/CFS specifically. This finding contradicts earlier suggestions that most ME/CFS patients have experienced childhood abuse.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue in disease-free cancer patients compared with fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Servaes, P, van der Werf, S, Prins, J et al.·Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·2001

This study compared fatigue in cancer survivors who had finished treatment with fatigue in people with ME/CFS. About one in five cancer survivors (19%) experienced severe fatigue similar to ME/CFS patients, even though they had been cancer-free for at least 6 months. The severely fatigued cancer survivors also reported concentration problems, reduced activity, emotional difficulties, and pain.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with Lyme borreliosis.

Treib, J, Grauer, M T, Haass, A et al.·European neurology·2000

This study looked at whether past or current Lyme disease infection might be connected to chronic fatigue. Researchers tested 1,156 young men for evidence of past Lyme disease exposure. They found that men who had been exposed to Lyme disease bacteria but never had noticeable symptoms reported more fatigue and general malaise than those without exposure. The researchers suggested it might be worth testing people with chronic fatigue for Lyme disease antibodies and considering antibiotic treatment.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Normal carnitine levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Soetekouw, P M, Wevers, R A, Vreken, P et al.·The Netherlands journal of medicine·2000

This study tested whether a chemical called carnitine, which helps muscles produce energy, was missing in people with ME/CFS. Researchers measured carnitine levels in 25 women with ME/CFS and compared them to 25 healthy women. They found that carnitine levels were actually normal in the ME/CFS patients, which contradicted earlier studies that suggested carnitine deficiency might cause the condition.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Self-reported sensitivity to chemical exposures in five clinical populations and healthy controls.

Nawab, S S, Miller, C S, Dale, J K et al.·Psychiatry research·2000

This study asked 225 people—including those with ME/CFS, SAD, and other conditions, plus healthy volunteers—to report how sensitive they are to everyday chemical exposures like perfumes, cleaning products, and other odors. People with ME/CFS reported significantly higher chemical sensitivity than healthy controls, and women reported more sensitivity than men. The researchers suggest that chemical sensitivity may be connected to how the body's stress-response system (the HPA axis) functions.

Pain and Sensitization

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A biochemical analysis of people with chronic fatigue who have Irlen Syndrome: speculation concerning immune system dysfunction.

Intraindividual variability in cognitive performance in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Quantitative assessment of cerebral ventricular volumes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Thirteen-year follow-up of children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Discriminating between chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: a cognitive analysis.

Information processing in chronic fatigue syndrome: a preliminary investigation of suggestibility.

Circadian rhythm of core body temperature in subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Assessment of pentachlorophenol-exposed timber workers using a test-of-poisoning model.

Multiple chemical sensitivity and chronic fatigue syndrome in British Gulf War veterans.

Autoantibodies to a 68/48 kDa protein in chronic fatigue syndrome and primary fibromyalgia: a possible marker for hypersomnia and cognitive disorders.

Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: an international study.

Urinary free cortisol in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Interpretation of symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Symptom factor analysis, clinical findings, and functional status in a population-based case control study of Gulf War unexplained illness.

Frequency of attendance in general practice and symptoms before development of chronic fatigue syndrome: a case-control study.

Sexual abuse, physical abuse, chronic fatigue, and chronic fatigue syndrome: a community-based study.

Fatigue in disease-free cancer patients compared with fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with Lyme borreliosis.

Normal carnitine levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Self-reported sensitivity to chemical exposures in five clinical populations and healthy controls.

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