ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3621–3640 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Postinfectious fatigue: prospective cohort study in primary care.

Wessely, S, Chalder, T, Hirsch, S et al.·Lancet (London, England)·1995

This study followed over 2,000 people in the UK to see whether common infections like colds and flu lead to chronic fatigue or ME/CFS. Researchers compared people who had recent infections with those who didn't, and checked them again 6 months later. They found no evidence that routine infections trigger ME/CFS—instead, people who were already tired or stressed before getting sick were more likely to experience fatigue afterward.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects.

Farmer, A, Jones, I, Hillier, J et al.·The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·1995

This study examined psychiatric conditions in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using standardized diagnostic interviews. Most CFS patients met criteria for a condition called neuraesthenia (an older term for nerve exhaustion) and had higher rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems compared to healthy people. Interestingly, when researchers followed patients over about 11 months without giving specific treatment, some psychiatric symptoms improved on their own, while the core fatigue condition remained.

SleepDiagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Chronic fatigue: risk factors for symptom persistence in a 2 1/2-year follow-up study.

Clark, M R, Katon, W, Russo, J et al.·The American journal of medicine·1995

This study followed 78 patients with chronic fatigue for about 2.5 years to understand why some people recover while others continue to struggle. Researchers found that people were more likely to have ongoing symptoms if they had multiple unexplained physical symptoms, a history of depression-like mood disorder, longer-lasting fatigue, less formal education, and were older than 38. Importantly, standard blood tests and immune system measurements did not predict who would improve.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Contrasting neuroendocrine responses in depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cleare, A J, Bearn, J, Allain, T et al.·Journal of affective disorders·1995

This study compared hormone levels and brain chemistry in people with ME/CFS, people with depression, and healthy controls. The researchers found that people with ME/CFS had lower cortisol (a stress hormone) and higher responses to a serotonin-related chemical, which is the opposite pattern seen in depression. This suggests ME/CFS and depression are biologically different conditions despite sometimes sharing similar symptoms like fatigue.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Vagal tone is reduced during paced breathing in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sisto, S A, Tapp, W, Drastal, S et al.·Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society·1995

This study looked at how the vagus nerve—which helps control heart rate and relaxation—works differently in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers had women with ME/CFS and healthy women breathe at different controlled rates while measuring their heart rate patterns. They found that people with ME/CFS had weaker vagal nerve activity overall, suggesting their nervous system may not be able to relax and recover as effectively as healthy people's.

Autonomic Nervous System

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Life-events and the course of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ray, C, Jefferies, S, Weir, W R·The British journal of medical psychology·1995

This study looked at whether major life events affect how ME/CFS progresses in patients. Researchers asked 130 patients about positive and negative events they experienced over a year and compared these to their fatigue, disability, anxiety, and depression levels. They found that positive life events were linked to less fatigue and better emotional wellbeing, while negative events were mainly associated with increased anxiety.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gait abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Boda, W L, Natelson, B H, Sisto, S A et al.·Journal of the neurological sciences·1995

Researchers filmed how people with ME/CFS walked at different speeds and compared them to sedentary (non-exercising) healthy people. They found that people with ME/CFS walked differently—they moved their hips differently, bent their knees less, and took shorter steps relative to their leg length. People with ME/CFS also ran much more slowly than the comparison group.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Abnormalities of carnitine metabolism in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Majeed, T, de Simone, C, Famularo, G et al.·European journal of neurology·1995

This study examined carnitine, a substance that helps cells produce energy, in people with ME/CFS. Researchers found that while carnitine levels in the blood were normal, the levels inside immune cells were significantly lower in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. This finding suggests that ME/CFS patients might benefit from taking carnitine supplements to restore normal energy production.

Immune System

E2 ModerateMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Neuroendocrine assessment of serotonin (5-HT) function in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Yatham, L N, Morehouse, R L, Chisholm, B T et al.·Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie·1995

Researchers tested whether serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain, might be abnormal in ME/CFS. They gave patients and healthy controls a drug that stimulates serotonin release and measured hormonal responses. The study found no differences between the two groups, suggesting that serotonin dysfunction may not be the primary problem in ME/CFS.

Endocrine Disruption

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Psychosocial correlates of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescent girls.

Pelcovitz, D, Septimus, A, Friedman, S B et al.·Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP·1995

This study compared 10 teenage girls with ME/CFS to 10 healthy girls and 10 girls who had cancer (now in remission). The researchers found that girls with ME/CFS reported more physical complaints and emotional symptoms like depression compared to the other groups. Parents of ME/CFS girls also noticed more emotional and physical complaints in their daughters, though family relationships and behaviors were similar across all groups.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Parvovirus B19 infection--persistence and genetic variation.

Kerr, J R, Curran, M D, Moore, J E et al.·Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases·1995

Researchers followed 53 people who had acute parvovirus B19 infection (a virus that causes rash and joint pain) for several years. They found that 7 people, all women, still had the virus detectable in their blood years later. Of these 7, one person developed chronic fatigue syndrome along with persistent joint pain, suggesting that B19 infection might sometimes persist in the body and potentially trigger long-term symptoms.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Brainstem perfusion is impaired in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Costa, D C, Tannock, C, Brostoff, J·QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians·1995

Researchers used a brain imaging technique to measure blood flow in the brains of ME/CFS patients and compared it to healthy people, as well as people with depression and epilepsy. They found that ME/CFS patients had consistently lower blood flow throughout their brains, especially in the brainstem—a critical area at the base of the brain that controls basic functions like breathing and heart rate. This pattern was distinct from what they saw in depressed patients, suggesting it may be a specific feature of ME/CFS.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

"Abnormal" illness behaviour in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

Trigwell, P, Hatcher, S, Johnson, M et al.·BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·1995

This study compared how patients with ME/CFS and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) responded to questions about their illness and health beliefs. Both groups showed similar patterns of thinking about their conditions, scoring high on worry about disease and low on recognizing psychological factors. The researchers concluded that these thinking patterns alone cannot prove ME/CFS is a psychological condition, since MS patients—who have a clearly physical disease—showed the same patterns.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM unclearObservational

Exercise responses and psychiatric disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Lane, R J, Burgess, A P, Flint, J et al.·BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·1995

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS respond to exercise and whether they experience psychiatric problems like depression or anxiety. Researchers examined whether exercise responses and psychiatric symptoms are connected in ME/CFS patients. The study helps clarify the relationship between physical symptoms and mental health in this condition.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome: a clinical and laboratory study with a well matched control group.

Swanink, C M, Vercoulen, J H, Bleijenberg, G et al.·Journal of internal medicine·1995

This study compared 88 people with ME/CFS to 77 healthy controls matched by age, sex, and location. Researchers tested blood work, checked for infections, and used questionnaires to measure fatigue, depression, and how much the illness affected daily life. Standard blood tests came back normal in ME/CFS patients, but they reported significantly more fatigue, depression, and difficulty with daily activities than healthy controls.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Clinical laboratory test findings in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Bates, D W, Buchwald, D, Lee, J et al.·Archives of internal medicine·1995

Researchers compared blood test results from 579 ME/CFS patients with results from 147 healthy people. They found that ME/CFS patients were much more likely to have certain abnormal results, particularly immune-related changes like unusual white blood cells and immune complexes. However, no single test was abnormal enough in all patients to serve as a reliable diagnostic tool on its own.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Cell-mediated immune function and the outcome of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wilson, A, Hickie, I, Lloyd, A et al.·International journal of immunopharmacology·1995

Researchers followed 103 ME/CFS patients for an average of 3.2 years to see if their immune system function predicted how well they would recover. Most patients improved over time, but about one-third remained unable to work. The study found that immune cell measurements taken at the start did not seem to predict who would get better or worse.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A comparison of case definitions of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Bates, D W, Buchwald, D, Lee, J et al.·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1994

This study tested whether three different sets of diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS identified the same patients. Researchers looked at 805 patients at two clinics and found that about 55-61% met each of the three definitions, though different patients sometimes qualified under different criteria. The study suggests that using broader, more flexible definitions might better capture people with ME/CFS.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Illness behaviour of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Schweitzer, R, Robertson, D L, Kelly, B et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1994

This study asked 40 patients with ME/CFS to complete questionnaires about their health concerns and mood. Compared to people visiting general doctors, ME/CFS patients reported more worry about their health and stronger belief that they had a serious illness. However, they were less likely to think their symptoms were purely psychological. About two-thirds of the ME/CFS patients also showed signs of depression or anxiety on screening tests.

E2 ModerateReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

A comparative review of systemic and neurological symptomatology in 12 outbreaks collectively described as chronic fatigue syndrome, epidemic neuromyasthenia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Briggs, N C, Levine, P H·Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1994

This study reviewed 12 documented outbreaks of ME/CFS-like illness from 1934 to the 1980s to understand how symptoms varied between them. While all outbreaks shared common features like extreme fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches, the neurological symptoms (affecting the nervous system) differed significantly. The researchers found that older outbreaks (1930s-1950s) showed more severe objective nerve damage, while later outbreaks (1960s-1980s) had milder neurological findings, possibly because doctors weren't looking for these symptoms as carefully.

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Evidence browser

Postinfectious fatigue: prospective cohort study in primary care.

Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects.

Chronic fatigue: risk factors for symptom persistence in a 2 1/2-year follow-up study.

Contrasting neuroendocrine responses in depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Vagal tone is reduced during paced breathing in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Life-events and the course of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Gait abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Abnormalities of carnitine metabolism in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Neuroendocrine assessment of serotonin (5-HT) function in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Psychosocial correlates of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescent girls.

Parvovirus B19 infection--persistence and genetic variation.

Brainstem perfusion is impaired in chronic fatigue syndrome.

"Abnormal" illness behaviour in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

Exercise responses and psychiatric disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: a clinical and laboratory study with a well matched control group.

Clinical laboratory test findings in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cell-mediated immune function and the outcome of chronic fatigue syndrome.

A comparison of case definitions of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Illness behaviour of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

A comparative review of systemic and neurological symptomatology in 12 outbreaks collectively described as chronic fatigue syndrome, epidemic neuromyasthenia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

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