ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3341–3360 of 6,188 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Increased postwar symptoms and psychological morbidity among U.S. Navy Gulf War veterans.

Gray, G C, Kaiser, K S, Hawksworth, A W et al.·The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene·1999

This study compared Navy veterans who served in the Gulf War to those who did not, looking for differences in health symptoms and physical condition. Gulf War veterans reported significantly more health problems, psychological difficulties, and lower physical strength than non-deployed veterans. The researchers found higher levels of certain inflammatory markers in blood tests, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what caused these differences.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Vitamin B status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Heap, L C, Peters, T J, Wessely, S·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have lower levels of three B vitamins (B6, B2, and B1) compared to healthy people. Researchers measured how well these vitamins work in red blood cells from 12 ME/CFS patients and 18 healthy controls. They found that all three B vitamins appeared to be functioning less effectively in ME/CFS patients, suggesting a possible vitamin deficiency that might contribute to symptoms.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Is depression associated with immune activation?

Natelson, B H, Denny, T, Zhou, X D et al.·Journal of affective disorders·1999

Researchers tested whether depression and ME/CFS are caused by an overactive immune system. They compared immune cell counts and immune signaling molecules in people with depression, people with ME/CFS who later developed depression, and healthy controls. Surprisingly, they found no signs of immune activation in either patient group—instead, the data suggested the immune system was actually downregulated (less active) in people with depression.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Natural history of severe chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hill, N F, Tiersky, L A, Scavalla, V R et al.·Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation·1999

This study followed 23 people with severe ME/CFS over approximately 4 years to see how their illness changed over time. The researchers found that most patients stayed severely ill or showed only modest improvement, with just one person (4%) fully recovering. The study suggests that severe ME/CFS has a very poor outlook for recovery in most patients.

Severe ME

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

TNF-alpha and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Moss, R B, Mercandetti, A, Vojdani, A·Journal of clinical immunology·1999

This study looked at whether a molecule called TNF-alpha, which helps control inflammation in the body, is elevated in people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared blood levels of TNF-alpha in patients with ME/CFS to healthy people without the condition. They found that people with ME/CFS had significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha, suggesting that inflammation may play a role in the disease.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Autonomic function in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Soetekouw, P M, Lenders, J W, Bleijenberg, G et al.·Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society·1999

Researchers tested whether ME/CFS patients have problems with the part of the nervous system that automatically controls heart rate and blood pressure. They compared 37 ME/CFS patients to 38 healthy people using several tests (like standing up quickly, holding their breath, and doing mental math). The study found only minor differences, suggesting that major autonomic problems may not be the primary issue in ME/CFS, though some specific responses to stress were reduced.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Acute fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.

Smith, A P, Borysiewicz, L, Pollock, J et al.·Psychological medicine·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS get tired more quickly during mental tasks than healthy people. Researchers compared 67 ME/CFS patients with 126 healthy controls while they performed attention tests over a long session. ME/CFS patients performed worse than healthy people, and the gap widened as fatigue set in, suggesting they struggle more with mental tiredness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Psychological states and neuropsychological performances in chronic Lyme disease.

Elkins, L E, Pollina, D A, Scheffer, S R et al.·Applied neuropsychology·1999

This study looked at mood and thinking abilities in 30 people with post-Lyme syndrome (a condition that can develop after Lyme disease). Researchers found that these patients had lower levels of positive feelings (like happiness or hopefulness) compared to the general population, but their actual thinking and memory skills tested normally. The study suggests that reduced positive mood, rather than depression or other psychiatric conditions, may be the most important psychological marker of this illness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Idiopathic chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: a comparison of two case-definitions.

Arpino, C, Carrieri, M P, Valesini, G et al.·Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanita·1999

This study compared how many patients were diagnosed with ME/CFS using two different diagnostic definitions from 1988 and 1994. The researchers found that the 1994 definition diagnosed more patients as having CFS, but these additional patients were less likely to have had a sudden onset of illness or signs suggesting an infectious trigger like fever or sore throat. This suggests the two definitions captured somewhat different groups of people.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Associations between perfectionism, mood, and fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study.

Blenkiron, P, Edwards, R, Lynch, S·The Journal of nervous and mental disease·1999

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS who tend to be perfectionists experience different levels of fatigue, anxiety, or depression compared to healthy people. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS actually had lower perfectionism scores than healthy controls, and were less likely to set high standards for others. Interestingly, this lower expectation of others was linked to less physical fatigue.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome as recognized by GPs.

Bazelmans, E, Vercoulen, J H, Swanink, C M et al.·Family practice·1999

This Dutch study surveyed general practitioners (GPs) to understand how often they see patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in their practices. About 60% of GPs responded, and most reported seeing patients with these conditions. The study estimated that roughly 112 out of every 100,000 people have CFS and 157 have FMS, though these numbers are likely underestimates since some cases may go unrecognized.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Absence of evidence of Borna disease virus infection in Swedish patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Evengård, B, Briese, T, Lindh, G et al.·Journal of neurovirology·1999

Researchers tested whether a virus called Borna disease virus (BDV) might be causing ME/CFS in Swedish patients. They examined blood samples from 169 patients and 62 healthy controls using two different detection methods—one looking for antibodies (immune system markers) and another looking for viral genetic material. They found no evidence of BDV in any of the patient samples, suggesting this particular virus is not responsible for ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Metal-specific lymphocytes: biomarkers of sensitivity in man.

Stejskal, Vera DM, Danersund, Antero, Lindvall, Anders et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS-like symptoms had immune reactions to metals in their dental fillings and other restorations. Researchers found that many patients had immune cells that reacted to metals like mercury, nickel, and gold, and that 76% of patients who replaced their metal restorations with non-metal alternatives reported feeling better. The study suggests that metal sensitivity might trigger inflammatory responses that contribute to chronic fatigue and related conditions.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Personality and social attitudes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wood, B, Wessely, S·Journal of psychosomatic research·1999

This study compared personality traits and attitudes between people with ME/CFS and people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to see if ME/CFS patients have distinctive personality characteristics. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients and RA patients were actually quite similar in most personality measures, and the common stereotype that ME/CFS patients are perfectionists with negative views about psychiatry was not supported.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome: gender differences in the search for legitimacy.

Clarke, J N·The Australian and New Zealand journal of mental health nursing·1999

This study interviewed 59 people with ME/CFS (18 men and 41 women) about their experiences with the illness and how doctors treated them. While men and women described similar symptoms and the disease itself affected them in comparable ways, they experienced very different treatment from healthcare providers. The study suggests that gender plays an important role in how seriously doctors take ME/CFS patients and how they are believed.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Self-reported depression and suicide attempts among U.S. women physicians.

Frank, E, Dingle, A D·The American journal of psychiatry·1999

This study surveyed over 4,500 U.S. women doctors to understand how often they experience depression and attempt suicide. The researchers found that about 1 in 5 women physicians have experienced depression at some point in their lives, and about 1.5% have attempted suicide. Several factors increased the risk, including a history of abuse, substance use, chronic fatigue syndrome, and work-related stress.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Mercury and nickel allergy: risk factors in fatigue and autoimmunity.

Sterzl, Ivan, Procházková, Jarmila, Hrdá, Pavlína et al.·Neuro endocrinology letters·1999

This study tested whether allergies to metals like mercury (found in old dental fillings) and nickel might trigger fatigue and autoimmune problems in people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared three groups of tired patients with healthy controls and found that people with fatigue were more sensitive to these metals. When some patients had their mercury-containing fillings removed and replaced, their fatigue improved significantly.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Can we predict recovery in chronic fatigue syndrome?

Pheley, A M, Melby, D, Schenck, C et al.·Minnesota medicine·1999

Researchers followed up with people who had ME/CFS for many years to see who recovered and what factors might predict recovery. Only 12% of patients reported recovery. Patients who had better physical and social functioning and lower anxiety at the start were more likely to recover, but there was so much overlap between those who recovered and those who didn't that doctors cannot reliably predict who will recover.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Changes in immune parameters seen in Gulf War veterans but not in civilians with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Zhang, Q, Zhou, X D, Denny, T et al.·Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology·1999

This study compared immune system markers in people with ME/CFS, looking separately at Gulf War veterans and non-veterans. Researchers found that Gulf War veterans with ME/CFS had different immune patterns (more of certain types of T cells, fewer NK cells, and higher levels of inflammation markers) compared to healthy veterans. However, non-veterans with ME/CFS showed no such immune differences from healthy controls, suggesting Gulf War service may have affected the immune system differently than sporadic ME/CFS.

Immune System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Critical life events, infections, and symptoms during the year preceding chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): an examination of CFS patients and subjects with a nonspecific life crisis.

Theorell, T, Blomkvist, V, Lindh, G et al.·Psychosomatic medicine·1999

This study looked at whether stressful life events and infections in the months before ME/CFS develops might play a role in triggering the illness. Researchers interviewed 46 people with ME/CFS and 46 matched control subjects without the illness, asking them to recall what happened and how they felt month-by-month for a year. They found that people who developed ME/CFS experienced more infections and stressful events—especially in the 3 months right before onset—and their fatigue, pain, and fever symptoms stayed very high even after diagnosis, unlike the control group who recovered.

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Increased postwar symptoms and psychological morbidity among U.S. Navy Gulf War veterans.

Vitamin B status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Is depression associated with immune activation?

Natural history of severe chronic fatigue syndrome.

TNF-alpha and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Autonomic function in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Acute fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.

Psychological states and neuropsychological performances in chronic Lyme disease.

Idiopathic chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: a comparison of two case-definitions.

Associations between perfectionism, mood, and fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome as recognized by GPs.

Absence of evidence of Borna disease virus infection in Swedish patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Metal-specific lymphocytes: biomarkers of sensitivity in man.

Personality and social attitudes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: gender differences in the search for legitimacy.

Self-reported depression and suicide attempts among U.S. women physicians.

Mercury and nickel allergy: risk factors in fatigue and autoimmunity.

Can we predict recovery in chronic fatigue syndrome?

Changes in immune parameters seen in Gulf War veterans but not in civilians with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Critical life events, infections, and symptoms during the year preceding chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): an examination of CFS patients and subjects with a nonspecific life crisis.

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