ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3661–3680 of 6,161 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearLongitudinal

A four-year follow-up study in fibromyalgia. Relationship to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nørregaard, J, Bülow, P M, Prescott, E et al.·Scandinavian journal of rheumatology·1993

This study followed 91 fibromyalgia patients for about 4 years to see if their muscle pain was caused by other medical conditions and how their symptoms changed over time. Most patients reported their pain got worse, and while many experienced severe fatigue, very few actually met the diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. The good news was that muscle strength remained stable and most cases of fibromyalgia were not caused by an underlying disease.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Investigation of retroviral involvement in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Folks, T M, Heneine, W, Khan, A et al.·Ciba Foundation symposium·1993

Researchers tested whether certain viruses called retroviruses might be a biological marker that could help diagnose ME/CFS. They looked for five different retroviruses in people with ME/CFS and compared them to healthy controls. None of these viruses were found in either group, meaning they cannot be used to identify who has ME/CFS.

Biomarkers

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome-related symptoms among nurses.

Jason, L A, Taylor, S L, Johnson, S et al.·Evaluation & the health professions·1993

This study looked at how common ME/CFS-related symptoms are among nurses. Researchers surveyed a group of nurses and found that when using different definitions of the illness, more nurses showed signs of ME/CFS than had been found in previous studies of the general population. This was the first study to specifically examine ME/CFS in healthcare workers.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Prevalence of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in a primary care practice.

Bates, D W, Schmitt, W, Buchwald, D et al.·Archives of internal medicine·1993

This study looked at how common severe, long-lasting fatigue is in a primary care doctor's office and how often it is ME/CFS. Researchers found that while about 27% of patients had long-term fatigue affecting their daily life, most could be explained by other medical or mental health conditions. Only about 0.3% to 1% of patients actually had ME/CFS, depending on which diagnostic criteria were used.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Behavioural problems associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Smith, A P, Behan, P O, Bell, W et al.·British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·1993

This study tested whether people with ME/CFS actually experience the memory, concentration, and coordination problems they report. Researchers gave 57 ME/CFS patients and 19 healthy controls a series of computerized tests measuring thinking speed, memory, attention, and motor skills. ME/CFS patients performed worse on many tests—they were slower at tasks requiring coordination, had trouble focusing, and struggled with complex reasoning—even though their depression and anxiety levels didn't fully explain these differences.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Illness perception and symptom components in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ray, C, Weir, W R, Cullen, S et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1992

This study asked 208 people with ME/CFS about their symptoms and how they experience their illness. Researchers found that ME/CFS involves four main types of problems: emotional distress, fatigue, physical symptoms, and difficulty thinking clearly. Emotional distress did not directly determine how sick people felt overall, but negative emotions did make the other symptoms worse.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

Does chronic fatigue syndrome predispose to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma?

Levine, P H, Peterson, D, McNamee, F L et al.·Cancer research·1992

Some people with ME/CFS have reported concerns about developing lymphoma (a type of blood cancer). This study looked at cancer rates in Nevada before and after documented ME/CFS outbreaks in the mid-1980s to see if there was an increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases. The researchers found that cancer rates followed the same patterns as the rest of the country, with no unusual spike linked to ME/CFS.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

[Allergy among Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].

Matsumoto, Y, Ninomiya, S·Arerugi = [Allergy]·1992

This study looked at allergies in 18 Japanese patients with ME/CFS and found that 78% had allergies either before or after developing ME/CFS. Most allergies involved skin reactions or drug allergies. Interestingly, allergies that existed before ME/CFS often improved once the illness developed, but ME/CFS symptoms got worse when allergies were present.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

[Chronic fatigue syndrome--cases in the Kanebo Memorial Hospital].

Ogawa, R, Toyama, S, Matsumoto, H·Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine·1992

This study looked at 134 ME/CFS patients seen at one hospital in Japan and found that many had immune system abnormalities, including weakened natural killer cells and reactions to common substances like dust and pollen. Researchers also discovered some patients had low levels of certain fatty acids in their blood. When treated with a traditional Chinese herbal medicine called Ren-Shen-Yang-Rong-Tang, about 73% of patients were able to return to work or school.

BiomarkersImmune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Sleep, Epstein-Barr virus infection, musculoskeletal pain, and depressive symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Whelton, C L, Salit, I, Moldofsky, H·The Journal of rheumatology·1992

This study compared sleep patterns, virus exposure, and symptoms in 14 ME/CFS patients versus 12 healthy people. Patients reported sleep that didn't feel refreshing and had unusual brain wave patterns during sleep, but didn't show excessive daytime sleepiness. The study found no evidence that a chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection was causing the illness, but patients did have more widespread pain, tender points, and depression symptoms.

Pain and SensitizationSleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Cell-mediated immunity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, healthy control subjects and patients with major depression.

Lloyd, A, Hickie, I, Hickie, C et al.·Clinical and experimental immunology·1992

This study compared immune system function in patients with ME/CFS, people with depression, and healthy individuals. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had weaker immune responses than both groups, suggesting their immune problems are distinct from depression-related immune changes. This indicates that ME/CFS involves direct immune system dysfunction rather than these problems simply being caused by depression.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Clinical, epidemiologic, and virologic studies in four clusters of the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Levine, P H, Jacobson, S, Pocinki, A G et al.·Archives of internal medicine·1992

Researchers studied four different outbreaks of ME/CFS in the Nevada-California region over 3 years, following patients through interviews and blood tests to look for viral causes. They found that almost all patients recovered and returned to their normal activities within the 3-year period. The viruses they tested for—including Epstein-Barr virus and others—were not responsible for the illness, though one outbreak may have been triggered by a parasite called giardia.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Estimating the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome and associated symptoms in the community.

Price, R K, North, C S, Wessely, S et al.·Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)·1992

This study looked at how common chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is in the general population by surveying over 13,500 people between 1981 and 1984. Researchers found that while about 23% of people reported experiencing persistent fatigue at some point in their lives, actual CFS meeting strict diagnostic criteria was extremely rare—only 1 person in the entire study group had the condition. When researchers excluded people with other medical or psychiatric illnesses, CFS became even rarer.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Serum levels of lymphokines and soluble cellular receptors in primary Epstein-Barr virus infection and in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Linde, A, Andersson, B, Svenson, S B et al.·The Journal of infectious diseases·1992

This study compared immune system markers in the blood of people with acute EBV infection (infectious mononucleosis), people recovering from EBV, and people with ME/CFS who had evidence of EBV reactivation. The researchers found that while acute EBV infection caused strong immune activation markers, people with ME/CFS did not show these same activation patterns, suggesting that active EBV reactivation may not be the primary cause of ME/CFS symptoms.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fluctuations in perceived energy and mood among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Wood, C, Magnello, M E, Sharpe, M C·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·1992

This study looked at how energy and mood change throughout the day in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Patients with active ME/CFS had lower energy levels overall, though their energy peaked mid-morning (10 AM-12 PM) similar to healthy controls. People who had recovered from ME/CFS showed energy levels between the sick and healthy groups, and depression scores were higher in those still ill.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Monospot and VP1 tests in chronic fatigue syndrome and major depression.

Lynch, S P, Seth, R V, Main, J·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·1992

This study tested whether two blood tests (Monospot and VP1) could help identify ME/CFS by comparing 34 ME/CFS patients with 34 people who had depression. While some patients tested positive for VP1 virus markers, the tests could not reliably tell the two groups apart, and results were inconsistent when patients were retested six months later.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Attention and short-term memory in chronic fatigue syndrome patients: an event-related potential analysis.

Scheffers, M K, Johnson, R, Grafman, J et al.·Neurology·1992

This study compared brain activity and reaction times between 13 people with ME/CFS and 13 healthy volunteers using brain scans while they performed attention and memory tasks. The ME/CFS patients showed much slower and more variable reaction times, but their memory and thinking abilities appeared normal. The researchers found that the brain's basic attention and memory processes were working similarly in both groups, suggesting the slowness came from problems with how the brain signals muscles to respond.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome criteria. A critique of the requirement for multiple physical complaints.

Katon, W, Russo, J·Archives of internal medicine·1992

This study looked at 285 people with chronic fatigue to understand whether having many physical symptoms was linked to psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety. Researchers found that patients reporting more unexplained physical symptoms were significantly more likely to have current or past psychiatric diagnoses. The authors suggest that ME/CFS diagnostic criteria should be changed to include people with fatigue and few physical symptoms, and potentially exclude those with many physical complaints.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Epstein-Barr virus serology in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Woodward, C G, Cox, R A·The Journal of infection·1992

Researchers tested blood samples from 136 ME/CFS patients to look for signs of past or ongoing Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, comparing them to healthy blood donors. They found that CFS patients had higher levels of certain EBV antibodies than the control group, but these differences weren't consistent enough to be useful for diagnosing individual patients. The study also found that some patients had signs of other viral infections alongside the EBV markers.

Immune System

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Studies on the relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein-Barr virus in Japan.

Kawai, K, Kawai, A·Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)·1992

This study examined whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, might be connected to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Researchers tested 22 patients with long-lasting fatigue and found that those with definite CFS had higher levels of certain EBV antibodies compared to patients with milder symptoms and healthy controls. The study suggests a possible link between EBV activation and the severity of fatigue experienced.

Immune System

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A four-year follow-up study in fibromyalgia. Relationship to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Investigation of retroviral involvement in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome-related symptoms among nurses.

Prevalence of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in a primary care practice.

Behavioural problems associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Illness perception and symptom components in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Does chronic fatigue syndrome predispose to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma?

[Allergy among Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].

[Chronic fatigue syndrome--cases in the Kanebo Memorial Hospital].

Sleep, Epstein-Barr virus infection, musculoskeletal pain, and depressive symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cell-mediated immunity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, healthy control subjects and patients with major depression.

Clinical, epidemiologic, and virologic studies in four clusters of the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Estimating the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome and associated symptoms in the community.

Serum levels of lymphokines and soluble cellular receptors in primary Epstein-Barr virus infection and in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fluctuations in perceived energy and mood among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Monospot and VP1 tests in chronic fatigue syndrome and major depression.

Attention and short-term memory in chronic fatigue syndrome patients: an event-related potential analysis.

Chronic fatigue syndrome criteria. A critique of the requirement for multiple physical complaints.

Epstein-Barr virus serology in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Studies on the relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein-Barr virus in Japan.

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