ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3261–3280 of 6,161 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Bone density and body composition in young women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hoskin, L, Clifton-Bligh, P, Hansen, R et al.·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2000

This study looked at bone health and body composition in young women with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. Researchers used specialized scanning technology to measure bone density and muscle/fat distribution. The findings help us understand whether ME/CFS affects physical body structure in ways that might contribute to health concerns.

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

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Blood parameters indicative of oxidative stress are associated with symptom expression in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Richards, R S, Roberts, T K, McGregor, N R et al.·Redox report : communications in free radical research·2000

Researchers compared blood samples from 33 people with ME/CFS and 27 healthy people, looking for signs of oxidative stress—a type of cellular damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. They found that people with ME/CFS had higher levels of certain markers of this damage, particularly a substance called methaemoglobin. The levels of these damage markers were strongly linked to how severe patients' symptoms were, including fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and cognitive difficulties.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A neuropsychological study of the postpolio syndrome: support for depression without neuropsychological impairment.

Hazendonk, K M, Crowe, S F·Neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, and behavioral neurology·2000

This study compared how well people with postpolio syndrome could think and remember compared to polio survivors without the condition and healthy controls. Although people with postpolio syndrome reported mental fatigue and memory problems, standard tests of thinking and memory showed no real differences between the groups. The researchers found that depression and worry about illness were more common in the postpolio syndrome group and may explain why patients feel cognitively impaired.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Frequent HHV-6 reactivation in multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients.

Ablashi, D V, Eastman, H B, Owen, C B et al.·Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology·2000

This study looked at whether a common virus called HHV-6 might be reactivated in ME/CFS patients. Researchers found that ME/CFS and MS patients had higher levels of antibodies (immune markers) to HHV-6 compared to healthy people, and they detected active virus in blood cells from these patients. The findings suggest that HHV-6 reactivation might play a role in causing or worsening ME/CFS symptoms.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and morphometry of the hippocampus in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Brooks, J C, Roberts, N, Whitehouse, G et al.·The British journal of radiology·2000

This study used brain imaging to examine a part of the brain called the hippocampus in people with ME/CFS and healthy controls. While the size of the hippocampus was normal in ME/CFS patients, a specific chemical marker called N-acetylaspartate was significantly lower in the right side of the hippocampus compared to healthy people. This suggests there may be subtle differences in how brain cells are functioning in ME/CFS, even when the brain structure looks normal.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome: sociodemographic subtypes in a community-based sample.

Jason, L A, Taylor, R R, Kennedy, C L et al.·Evaluation & the health professions·2000

This study looked at people with ME/CFS living in Chicago to understand how their backgrounds affected their illness. Researchers found that women, people of color, and those unable to work experienced more severe symptoms, greater disability, and more emotional stress than men, white patients, and those who could still work. This suggests that social factors and circumstances may play a role in how badly ME/CFS affects different groups of people.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Coping strategies in twins with chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Afari, N, Schmaling, K B, Herrell, R et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2000

This study looked at how twins handle stress when one twin has chronic fatigue or ME/CFS and the other doesn't. Researchers found that twins with fatigue tend to cope by avoiding problems more often than their healthy siblings do. While both groups used similar overall coping methods, the fatigued twins relied more heavily on avoidance strategies rather than trying to solve problems directly.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome: an examination of the phases.

Jason, L A, Fricano, G, Taylor, R R et al.·Journal of clinical psychology·2000

This study tested a tool called the Fennell Phase Inventory, which measures four distinct phases that people with ME/CFS typically go through: Crisis, Stabilization, Resolution, and Integration. Researchers gave 65 patients diagnosed by doctors the inventory along with other questionnaires about their symptoms, daily functioning, and coping strategies. The results supported the theory that ME/CFS patients progress through these predictable phases, with each phase showing different levels of disability and different ways of coping.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Enhanced sensitivity of the peripheral cholinergic vascular response in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Spence, V A, Khan, F, Belch, J J·The American journal of medicine·2000

This study looked at how blood vessels in ME/CFS patients respond to a natural chemical in the body called acetylcholine, which helps control blood vessel widening and narrowing. Researchers compared blood vessel responses in ME/CFS patients versus healthy people and found that ME/CFS patients showed an unusually strong reaction. This finding suggests that the nervous system's control of blood vessels may work differently in ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

The course of severe chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood.

Rangel, L, Garralda, M E, Levin, M et al.·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·2000

This study followed 25 children with severe chronic fatigue syndrome for about 3.5 years after their illness began. Most children (two-thirds) eventually recovered and returned to normal activities, though the illness caused serious problems during its worst phases, including extended time out of school. The researchers found that children who had a clear physical trigger for their illness, started feeling sick in the autumn, or came from higher-income families were more likely to recover.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The genetic aetiology of somatic distress.

Gillespie, N A, Zhu, G, Heath, A C et al.·Psychological medicine·2000

This study looked at whether the physical and mental exhaustion seen in chronic fatigue syndrome runs in families and whether it's genetically distinct from depression and anxiety. Researchers surveyed nearly 3,500 Australian twins and found that about one-third of the genetic factors affecting somatic distress (physical symptoms and fatigue) are unique to those symptoms and not shared with depression or anxiety, suggesting these are separate conditions with different causes.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Results of isoproterenol tilt table testing in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Poole, J, Herrell, R, Ashton, S et al.·Archives of internal medicine·2000

This study tested whether a condition called neurally mediated hypotension (a sudden drop in blood pressure) might be causing ME/CFS. Researchers compared identical twins where one had ME/CFS and one was healthy, using a tilt table test to measure blood pressure responses. They found that healthy twins and twins with ME/CFS had similar rates of this blood pressure problem, suggesting it is probably not a main cause of ME/CFS.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Strength and physiological response to exercise in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fulcher, K Y, White, P D·Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2000

This study compared muscle strength and exercise capacity in people with ME/CFS to healthy sedentary people and people with depression. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients were weaker and could not exercise as long, even though they were as physically deconditioned as the sedentary controls. After exercise therapy, patients improved—mainly by having lower heart rate responses during activity—suggesting that rebuilding physical fitness can help restore function.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

[Relationship between fatigue in multiple sclerosis and the chronic fatigue syndrome].

Grimaud, J·Revue neurologique·2000

This study examined whether the severe tiredness experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is similar to the fatigue seen in ME/CFS. The research looked at how fatigue presents differently in these two conditions and whether they share common features. Understanding these similarities and differences can help doctors better recognize and treat fatigue in both diseases.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Antibodies to parvovirus B19 non-structural protein are associated with chronic but not acute arthritis following B19 infection.

Kerr, J R, Cunniffe, V S·Rheumatology (Oxford, England)·2000

This study tracked people who had parvovirus B19 infection to see if certain antibodies (immune proteins) in their blood were linked to lasting joint pain and arthritis. Researchers found that antibodies to a specific viral protein called NS1 were more common in people who developed chronic arthritis months or years after the infection, but were not associated with arthritis during the acute illness itself.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Exercise capacity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

De Becker, P, Roeykens, J, Reynders, M et al.·Archives of internal medicine·2000

This study measured how much exercise women with ME/CFS could tolerate compared to healthy women without the condition. Patients with ME/CFS were able to exercise at only about half the capacity of healthy controls—they couldn't reach high heart rates and couldn't sustain heavy workloads. The findings show that ME/CFS significantly limits physical ability in ways that can be objectively measured.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Screening for prolonged fatigue syndromes: validation of the SOFA scale.

Hadzi-Pavlovic, D, Hickie, I B, Wilson, A J et al.·Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology·2000

This study developed and tested two screening tools (called SOFA/CFS and SOFA/GP) to help doctors identify patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and prolonged fatigue conditions. Researchers tested these tools with 770 CFS patients in specialist clinics and 1,593 people in regular primary care settings, and found that both instruments could reliably spot these fatigue syndromes. The study also showed that fatigue syndromes have distinct patterns that are separate from anxiety and depression, and these patterns remained stable over a 12-month follow-up.

Diagnostics

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 requiredObservational

Identifying physical activity patterns in chronic fatigue syndrome using actigraphic assessment.

van der Werf, S P, Prins, J B, Vercoulen, J H et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2000

Researchers used a motion-tracking device to measure physical activity patterns in 277 ME/CFS patients over 12 days and compared them to 47 healthy people. Patients with ME/CFS showed less intense bursts of activity, shorter activity periods, and longer rest times afterward. About one-fourth of patients were identified as 'pervasively passive'—meaning they had very low activity levels throughout the entire study period.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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Bone density and body composition in young women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

Blood parameters indicative of oxidative stress are associated with symptom expression in chronic fatigue syndrome.

A neuropsychological study of the postpolio syndrome: support for depression without neuropsychological impairment.

Frequent HHV-6 reactivation in multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and morphometry of the hippocampus in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: sociodemographic subtypes in a community-based sample.

Coping strategies in twins with chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: an examination of the phases.

Enhanced sensitivity of the peripheral cholinergic vascular response in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

The course of severe chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood.

The genetic aetiology of somatic distress.

Results of isoproterenol tilt table testing in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Strength and physiological response to exercise in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Relationship between fatigue in multiple sclerosis and the chronic fatigue syndrome].

Antibodies to parvovirus B19 non-structural protein are associated with chronic but not acute arthritis following B19 infection.

Exercise capacity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Screening for prolonged fatigue syndromes: validation of the SOFA scale.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with Lyme borreliosis.

Identifying physical activity patterns in chronic fatigue syndrome using actigraphic assessment.

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