ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3461–3480 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A comparison of salivary cortisol in chronic fatigue syndrome, community depression and healthy controls.

Strickland, P, Morriss, R, Wearden, A et al.·Journal of affective disorders·1998

This study measured cortisol (a stress hormone) in saliva from women with ME/CFS, women with depression, and healthy women to see if cortisol levels differed between groups. Researchers found that women with ME/CFS had lower cortisol levels, especially in the evening and morning, compared to both depressed and healthy women. This suggests that ME/CFS involves different biological changes than depression.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Brain positron emission tomography (PET) in chronic fatigue syndrome: preliminary data.

Tirelli, U, Chierichetti, F, Tavio, M et al.·The American journal of medicine·1998

Researchers used a brain imaging technique called PET scans to measure energy use in the brains of 18 people with ME/CFS. They found that people with ME/CFS had lower energy use in a specific part of the brain (the brainstem) and part of the front of the brain compared to healthy people. Importantly, this pattern was different from what they saw in people with depression, suggesting ME/CFS may have its own distinct brain signature.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Cancer and a fatiguing illness in Northern Nevada--a causal hypothesis.

Levine, P H, Fears, T R, Cummings, P et al.·Annals of epidemiology·1998

Researchers compared cancer rates in two areas of Nevada where an unexplained fatiguing illness (including ME/CFS cases) occurred in the 1980s against an area with no reported illness. They found higher rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and brain tumors in the affected areas, but similar rates of breast and lung cancer. The authors suggest this could mean ME/CFS might increase cancer risk, but they emphasize it's too early to draw firm conclusions.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Physical activity before and after exercise in women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sisto, S A, Tapp, W N, LaManca, J J et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·1998

This study tracked the physical activity of 20 women with ME/CFS and 20 healthy volunteers for two weeks using a movement monitor worn at the waist. After all participants did a strenuous treadmill exercise test, researchers measured how their activity changed. Women with ME/CFS showed a noticeable drop in activity levels after the exercise, with the biggest decrease happening around days 12-14, and they took more rest breaks during the day.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Diurnal variation of adrenocortical activity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

MacHale, S M, Cavanagh, J T, Bennie, J et al.·Neuropsychobiology·1998

This study measured stress hormone (cortisol) levels in 30 ME/CFS patients and 15 healthy controls at different times of day. The researchers found that while individual cortisol measurements were similar between groups, ME/CFS patients showed a flattened pattern—their cortisol levels didn't drop as much in the evening as they should. Higher evening cortisol levels were connected to worse overall health and physical functioning in ME/CFS patients.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Adaptive tasks, coping and quality of life of chronically ill patients: the cases of Parkinson's disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

De Ridder, D T, Schreurs, K M, Bensing, J M·Journal of health psychology·1998

This study compared how people with Parkinson's disease and ME/CFS cope with the challenges their illnesses create and how this affects their quality of life. Researchers found that while both groups face similar types of challenges (like managing symptoms and adjusting daily life), the way these challenges affect quality of life differs between the two diseases. For people with ME/CFS, how patients think about and evaluate their illness challenges was more important in predicting their quality of life than the actual severity of their symptoms.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Naloxone-mediated activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Scott, L V, Burnett, F, Medbak, S et al.·Psychological medicine·1998

This study looked at whether an opioid-blocking drug called naloxone could trigger the body's stress hormone system in ME/CFS patients versus healthy people. The researchers found that when given naloxone, ME/CFS patients had a blunted response in one stress hormone (ACTH) compared to healthy controls, suggesting that excess opioids are not the primary cause of the stress hormone problems seen in ME/CFS.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Post-infection fatigue syndrome following Q fever.

Ayres, J G, Flint, N, Smith, E G et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·1998

This study followed 71 people in the UK who were infected with Q fever (a bacterial infection) in 1989 and compared them to 142 similar people who were not infected. Five years later, the infected group reported significantly more fatigue, sweating, breathlessness, and blurred vision than the control group. About 42% of the infected patients met the diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting that a single Q fever infection can lead to long-lasting tiredness and related symptoms in some people.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Estimating the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome among nurses.

Jason, L A, Wagner, L, Rosenthal, S et al.·The American journal of medicine·1998

This study looked at how many nurses have ME/CFS by sending questionnaires to two groups of nurses and then doing more detailed evaluations on those with CFS-like symptoms. The researchers found that nurses may get ME/CFS at higher rates than the general population, possibly because of job-related stress such as shift work, virus exposure, and workplace hazards. This suggests nurses might be at special risk for developing this illness.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Phosphate diabetes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

De Lorenzo, F, Hargreaves, J, Kakkar, V V·Postgraduate medical journal·1998

This study explored whether some ME/CFS patients might actually have a rare kidney condition called phosphate diabetes, which prevents the kidneys from properly reabsorbing phosphate. Phosphate is important for muscle and nerve function, and low levels can cause fatigue, muscle pain, and depression—symptoms that overlap with ME/CFS. The researchers tested 87 ME/CFS patients and found that 9 of them also had phosphate diabetes.

Energy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Clinical and serologic follow-up in patients with neuroborreliosis.

Treib, J, Fernandez, A, Haass, A et al.·Neurology·1998

Researchers followed 44 patients who had been treated for a tick-borne brain infection caused by Borrelia bacteria. Even though the patients' neurological symptoms improved after antibiotics, more than half continued to experience ongoing fatigue and other non-specific symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome years later. Some patients also continued to show signs of Borrelia infection in their blood tests.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Structure and Determinants of Illness Representations in Chronic Disease: A Comparison of Addison's Disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Heijmans, M, De Ridder, D·Journal of health psychology·1998

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS and Addison's disease think about their illnesses—what they believe causes it, how long it will last, whether they can control it, and how it affects their lives. Researchers interviewed 98 ME/CFS patients and 63 Addison's disease patients and found that the two groups had quite different views about their conditions. However, the way these different beliefs connected to each other followed similar patterns in both groups.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Immunologic parameters in chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression, and multiple sclerosis.

Natelson, B H, LaManca, J J, Denny, T N et al.·The American journal of medicine·1998

Researchers compared blood immune system markers between ME/CFS patients, people with depression, people with multiple sclerosis, and healthy controls. They measured 18 different immune system measurements, looking for signs that ME/CFS involves immune system problems. The study found only minor differences in one immune protein between ME/CFS patients and healthy controls, and these differences disappeared when comparing across all three disease groups.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Lack of seasonal variation of symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

García-Borreguero, D, Dale, J K, Rosenthal, N E et al.·Psychiatry research·1998

Many people experience changes in energy, mood, appetite, and sleep across different seasons, often feeling worse in winter. This study tested whether ME/CFS patients experience these same seasonal changes. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients actually show much less seasonal variation in their symptoms compared to healthy people, suggesting their fatigue and other symptoms stay relatively constant year-round rather than fluctuating with the seasons.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The low dose ACTH test in chronic fatigue syndrome and in health.

Scott, L V, Medbak, S, Dinan, T G·Clinical endocrinology·1998

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS have a subtle problem with their stress hormone system, specifically the pituitary gland's ability to signal the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Using a sensitive test with a very small dose of ACTH (a hormone that triggers cortisol release), researchers found that people with ME/CFS showed a weaker cortisol response than healthy people, suggesting their adrenal system may not be functioning optimally.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Low levels of serum acylcarnitine in chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic hepatitis type C, but not seen in other diseases.

Kuratsune, H, Yamaguti, K, Lindh, G et al.·International journal of molecular medicine·1998

Researchers measured a substance called acylcarnitine in the blood of people with ME/CFS and compared it to healthy people and those with other diseases. They found that people with ME/CFS had significantly lower levels of this substance, and this same pattern appeared in both Japanese and Swedish patients. Importantly, this low level was only seen in ME/CFS and one other condition (chronic hepatitis C), not in other common diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.

BiomarkersEnergy Metabolism

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Effects of exercise on cognitive and motor function in chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

Blackwood, S K, MacHale, S M, Power, M J et al.·Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·1998

This study compared how people with ME/CFS, people with depression, and healthy people performed on thinking and strength tests before and after exercise on a treadmill. People with ME/CFS reported feeling much more tired and struggling harder during the exercise than the other groups. After exercising, people with ME/CFS had bigger drops in their ability to focus and pay attention compared to healthy people, suggesting that exercise affects their thinking ability in a specific way.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Evaluating neuropsychological impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Vercoulen, J H, Bazelmans, E, Swanink, C M et al.·Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology·1998

This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have problems with thinking, memory, and concentration. Researchers tested patients using standard cognitive tests and also asked them to report their own memory and concentration difficulties. Surprisingly, most patients performed normally on the tests, and there was no clear connection between test results and what patients reported experiencing in daily life.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome: physical and cardiovascular deconditioning.

De Lorenzo, F, Xiao, H, Mukherjee, M et al.·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·1998

This study compared the hearts and bodies of 273 ME/CFS patients with 72 healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had smaller hearts and blood vessels, along with changes in blood markers like cholesterol and blood cells. The study suggests that ME/CFS patients may experience physical deconditioning similar to what happens when people are very inactive.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Early life stress, negative paternal relationships, and chemical intolerance in middle-aged women: support for a neural sensitization model.

Bell, I R, Baldwin, C M, Russek, L G et al.·Journal of women's health·1998

This study looked at whether women with chemical sensitivity (difficulty tolerating everyday chemicals) had experienced more childhood stress or difficult relationships with their fathers compared to women with depression alone or women without these conditions. The researchers found that women with chemical sensitivity had weaker relationships with their fathers and showed signs of nervous system overactivity. The study suggests that repeated exposure to stress early in life might train the nervous system to react more strongly to chemicals and other triggers.

Autonomic Nervous System

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A comparison of salivary cortisol in chronic fatigue syndrome, community depression and healthy controls.

Brain positron emission tomography (PET) in chronic fatigue syndrome: preliminary data.

Cancer and a fatiguing illness in Northern Nevada--a causal hypothesis.

Physical activity before and after exercise in women with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Diurnal variation of adrenocortical activity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Adaptive tasks, coping and quality of life of chronically ill patients: the cases of Parkinson's disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Naloxone-mediated activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Post-infection fatigue syndrome following Q fever.

Estimating the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome among nurses.

Phosphate diabetes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Clinical and serologic follow-up in patients with neuroborreliosis.

Structure and Determinants of Illness Representations in Chronic Disease: A Comparison of Addison's Disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Immunologic parameters in chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression, and multiple sclerosis.

Lack of seasonal variation of symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

The low dose ACTH test in chronic fatigue syndrome and in health.

Low levels of serum acylcarnitine in chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic hepatitis type C, but not seen in other diseases.

Effects of exercise on cognitive and motor function in chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

Evaluating neuropsychological impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: physical and cardiovascular deconditioning.

Early life stress, negative paternal relationships, and chemical intolerance in middle-aged women: support for a neural sensitization model.

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