ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3681–3700 of 6,188 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Information processing efficiency in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

DeLuca, J, Johnson, S K, Natelson, B H·Archives of neurology·1993

This study compared thinking and concentration abilities in people with ME/CFS, people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy volunteers. All participants were matched by age and education level. People with ME/CFS and MS both showed difficulty with tasks requiring fast, complex thinking compared to healthy controls, suggesting that ME/CFS may affect how the brain processes information.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

General practitioners acceptance of the validity of chronic fatigue syndrome as a diagnosis.

Denz-Penhey, H, Murdoch, J C·The New Zealand medical journal·1993

Researchers surveyed 83 general practitioners in New Zealand to see if they believed ME/CFS was a real medical condition. The vast majority (90%) said yes, they accepted it as a valid diagnosis. Most doctors said they had treated patients with this condition, suggesting ME/CFS was being recognized and diagnosed in primary care.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Fatigue, depression, and social adjustment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Walford, G A, Nelson, W M, McCluskey, D R·Archives of disease in childhood·1993

This study looked at 12 children with ME/CFS and compared them to children with cystic fibrosis and healthy children. Children with ME/CFS reported much higher levels of tiredness affecting both body and mind, and many showed signs of depression. Their schooling and social lives were seriously disrupted by the illness.

Cognitive Impairment

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The overdiagnosis of Lyme disease.

Steere, A C, Taylor, E, McHugh, G L et al.·JAMA·1993

This study looked at 788 people referred to a Lyme disease clinic who were thought to have Lyme disease. Researchers found that only 23% actually had active Lyme disease, while 57% did not have Lyme disease at all—many of these patients had chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia instead. The main problem was that patients were being incorrectly diagnosed with Lyme disease and given antibiotics that didn't help because they didn't actually have the infection.

Diagnostics

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical epidemiology and aetiological classification.

Manu, P, Lane, T J, Matthews, D A·Ciba Foundation symposium·1993

This study looked at 405 patients who came to a hospital complaining of chronic fatigue and tried to figure out what was causing it. Doctors found that most patients had psychiatric conditions like depression or anxiety rather than physical diseases. About 30% of patients met the definition for ME/CFS, and these patients were more likely to attribute their illness to a viral infection than other fatigued patients.

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 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Persistence of enterovirus RNA in muscle biopsy samples suggests that some cases of chronic fatigue syndrome result from a previous, inflammatory viral myopathy.

Bowles, N E, Bayston, T A, Zhang, H Y et al.·Journal of medicine·1993

Researchers tested muscle samples from people with post-viral fatigue syndrome (a condition similar to ME/CFS that develops after a viral infection) and found evidence of enterovirus RNA in about 26% of samples. This was much higher than in healthy control samples. The study suggests that some cases of ME/CFS may develop after a viral infection causes inflammation in the muscles, similar to how viral heart infections can lead to long-term heart problems.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Inability of retroviral tests to identify persons with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1992.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)·MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report·1993

In the early 1990s, some laboratories were offering blood tests to check if people with ME/CFS had been infected with certain viruses called retroviruses. This CDC study tested whether three of these commercial tests could actually tell the difference between people with ME/CFS and healthy people. The researchers found that these tests could not reliably distinguish between the two groups, meaning the tests were not accurate for identifying ME/CFS.

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 requiredCross-Sectional

Sleep disturbance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Krupp, L B, Jandorf, L, Coyle, P K et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·1993

This study looked at sleep problems in 72 people with ME/CFS, comparing them to people with multiple sclerosis and healthy volunteers. People with ME/CFS reported much worse sleep and fatigue than the other groups. When researchers used sleep monitoring equipment on some ME/CFS patients, they found that over half had treatable sleep disorders like sleep apnea or periodic leg movements during sleep.

Sleep

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Abnormalities of sleep in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Morriss, R, Sharpe, M, Sharpley, A L et al.·BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·1993

This study compared sleep patterns between 12 people with ME/CFS and 12 healthy volunteers using both sleep diaries and objective monitoring devices. People with ME/CFS spent more time in bed but slept less efficiently, woke up more after falling asleep, and were more likely to have sleep disorders. The researchers concluded that sleep problems are common in ME/CFS and may contribute to daytime fatigue.

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 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 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 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 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

Positive and negative social support in a chronic illness.

Ray, C·Psychological reports·1992

This study looked at how social support affects the emotional well-being of people with ME/CFS. Researchers surveyed 207 patients and found that positive support from others (like encouragement and practical help) was connected to lower anxiety, while negative support (like criticism or dismissal) was linked to both increased anxiety and depression. This suggests that the quality of relationships and social interactions may play a role in how ME/CFS patients experience mental health symptoms.

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

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

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Evidence browser

Information processing efficiency in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

General practitioners acceptance of the validity of chronic fatigue syndrome as a diagnosis.

Fatigue, depression, and social adjustment in chronic fatigue syndrome.

The overdiagnosis of Lyme disease.

Chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical epidemiology and aetiological classification.

Behavioural problems associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Persistence of enterovirus RNA in muscle biopsy samples suggests that some cases of chronic fatigue syndrome result from a previous, inflammatory viral myopathy.

Inability of retroviral tests to identify persons with chronic fatigue syndrome, 1992.

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

Sleep disturbance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Abnormalities of sleep in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Epstein-Barr virus serology in the chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

[Allergy among Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].

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

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

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

Positive and negative social support in a chronic illness.

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

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

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