Evidence browser

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Absence of Borrelia burgdorferi-specific immune complexes in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Schutzer, S E, Natelson, B H·Neurology·1999

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have signs of Lyme disease infection in their blood. Researchers compared 39 ME/CFS patients to 40 healthy people using a specialized test that looks for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. None of the patients or controls showed signs of this infection, suggesting that Lyme disease is not the hidden cause of ME/CFS in people without typical Lyme disease symptoms like the characteristic rash or joint problems.

Diagnostics

Chronic fatigue syndrome in private practice psychiatry: family history of physical and mental health.

Endicott, N A·Journal of psychosomatic research·1999

This study looked at 45 psychiatric patients with ME/CFS and compared their family medical histories to two similar groups of psychiatric patients without ME/CFS. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients' parents tended to die younger and had more cancer, autoimmune disorders, and ME/CFS-like illnesses compared to the families of control patients. There were no significant differences in mental health conditions between the families.

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.

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 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.

Differences in adrenal steroid profile in chronic fatigue syndrome, in depression and in health.

Scott, L V, Salahuddin, F, Cooney, J et al.·Journal of affective disorders·1999

This study measured several hormones related to stress in people with ME/CFS, depression, and healthy individuals. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had significantly lower levels of DHEA and DHEA-S (hormones produced by the adrenal glands) compared to healthy people, while cortisol levels were similar across all groups. This suggests ME/CFS may involve a different hormone pattern than depression, and DHEA could potentially help diagnose or treat ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Human herpesviruses in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wallace, H L, Natelson, B, Gause, W et al.·Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology·1999

Researchers tested whether common viruses (HHV6, HHV7, Epstein-Barr virus, and cytomegalovirus) are more active or present in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. They examined blood samples from ME/CFS patients and matched healthy controls, looking for both the viruses themselves and antibodies (immune markers) against these viruses. They found no significant differences between the two groups, suggesting these particular viruses may not be a primary driver of ME/CFS.

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.

Brain MRI abnormalities exist in a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lange, G, DeLuca, J, Maldjian, J A et al.·Journal of the neurological sciences·1999

Researchers used brain MRI scans to look for abnormalities in people with ME/CFS and compared them to healthy controls. They found that some ME/CFS patients—specifically those without a separate psychiatric diagnosis—had small spots of unusual tissue in the white matter of their brains, mostly in the frontal lobes (the front part of the brain). These brain changes were not found in healthy people or in ME/CFS patients who also had psychiatric diagnoses.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

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

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 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.

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 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome in a community population in Japan.

Kawakami, N, Iwata, N, Fujihara, S et al.·The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine·1998

This Japanese study looked at how common ME/CFS is in everyday communities by interviewing 137 people. Researchers found that about 1 in 67 people had severe, persistent fatigue that met ME/CFS criteria and significantly disrupted their daily life. The findings suggested ME/CFS might be more common in Japan than in Western countries studied previously.

Diagnostics

The relationship between temporomandibular disorders and stress-associated syndromes.

Korszun, A, Papadopoulos, E, Demitrack, M et al.·Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics·1998

This study looked at how often jaw joint problems (temporomandibular disorder) occur together with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. Researchers found that 42% of patients with these conditions also had jaw problems, and most of these patients had developed their general symptoms before their jaw pain started. Interestingly, most were treated only for the jaw problem with bite splints, even though they had multiple related conditions.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

A study of the immunology of the chronic fatigue syndrome: correlation of immunologic parameters to health dysfunction.

Hassan, I S, Bannister, B A, Akbar, A et al.·Clinical immunology and immunopathology·1998

This study examined immune system markers in 44 people with ME/CFS to see how these markers related to symptom severity and mental health. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had unusual patterns in their immune cells—specifically, signs of increased immune activation and changes in how lymphocytes (white blood cells) behave. These immune changes correlated with worse physical function, pain, and mental health symptoms.

SleepCognitive Impairment

Exploring the validity of the Chalder Fatigue scale in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Morriss, R K, Wearden, A J, Mullis, R·Journal of psychosomatic research·1998

This study tested whether the Chalder Fatigue Scale—a common questionnaire used to measure tiredness in ME/CFS patients—actually measures what it claims to measure. Researchers analyzed responses from 136 ME/CFS patients and found that fatigue has four distinct components: mental tiredness (linked to thinking problems), sleep difficulties, physical weakness (linked to low fitness), and depression. The results suggest the 11-item version of the scale works better than the original 14-item version for measuring fatigue in ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

Chronic fatigue syndrome in psychiatric patients: lifetime and premorbid personal history of physical health.

Endicott, N A·Psychosomatic medicine·1998

This study compared 46 ME/CFS patients with two groups of psychiatric patients without ME/CFS to see if there were differences in their past physical health histories. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients reported more lifetime infections (including repeated mono-like illnesses), irritable bowel syndrome, and allergies before developing ME/CFS than the comparison groups. This suggests that a pattern of poor overall physical health earlier in life may play a role in developing ME/CFS.

Salivary cortisol profiles in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wood, B, Wessely, S, Papadopoulos, A et al.·Neuropsychobiology·1998

This study measured cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in the saliva of 10 people with ME/CFS and 10 healthy people over a 16-hour period. Contrary to some earlier research, people with ME/CFS actually had slightly higher cortisol levels on average than healthy controls. This finding suggests that low cortisol is not the cause of fatigue in ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Secretion of growth hormone in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Berwaerts, J, Moorkens, G, Abs, R·Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society·1998

This study looked at growth hormone levels in people with ME/CFS, because low growth hormone has been seen in related conditions like fibromyalgia. Researchers tested 20 ME/CFS patients and compared them to healthy controls, measuring growth hormone in different ways. They found that ME/CFS patients had lower levels of a growth hormone marker (IGF-I) and tended to produce less growth hormone at night, though other growth hormone tests were similar between groups.