ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3781–3800 of 6,209 studies

E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Frequency of 'chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection' in a general medical practice.

Buchwald, D, Sullivan, J L, Komaroff, A L·JAMA·1987

Researchers studied 500 patients visiting a general doctor's office and found that about 21% experienced severe, ongoing fatigue similar to ME/CFS, often with symptoms like sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches lasting months or years. While some blood tests showed higher levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies in these patients compared to healthy people, the differences were not strong enough to prove EBV caused their fatigue. The study warns that current EBV blood tests should be interpreted carefully and may not reliably diagnose the cause of chronic fatigue.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Depression in patients with neuromyasthenia (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis).

Taerk, G S, Toner, B B, Salit, I E et al.·International journal of psychiatry in medicine·1987

This study looked at depression in people with ME/CFS (then called neuromyasthenia) using structured interviews and psychological tests. Researchers found that 67% of ME/CFS patients met criteria for major depression, and notably, half of these patients had depression before they developed ME/CFS. The study suggests that some people with ME/CFS may be psychologically vulnerable to developing the condition after a viral illness.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Blood rheology and myalgic encephalomyelitis: a pilot study.

Simpson, L O, Shand, B I, Olds, R J·Pathology·1986

This study examined whether blood flows differently in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers tested blood samples and found that in the early stages of ME/CFS, blood may not flow as easily through tiny blood vessels, which could reduce oxygen delivery to tissues. However, in long-term ME/CFS, these blood flow problems were not observed.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

A study of Coxsackie B virus infections, 1972-1983.

Bell, E J, McCartney, R A·The Journal of hygiene·1984

Over 12 years, researchers tested blood samples from patients with various illnesses to see if they had been infected with Coxsackie B virus. They found that people with ME/CFS were more likely to have evidence of this virus infection (41% of well-documented ME patients) compared to healthy people (4%). This suggests Coxsackie B virus might play a role in some ME/CFS cases, though the study cannot prove the virus causes the illness.

E2 ModerateBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Personality and medical perception in benign myalgic encephalomyelitis.

May, P G, Donnan, S P, Ashton, J R et al.·Lancet (London, England)·1980

This 1980 study looked at girls at a school where some developed ME/CFS-like illness during an outbreak. Researchers tested all the girls—both sick and healthy—and found that the sick girls tended to be more emotionally sensitive or anxious than the healthy ones. However, viruses weren't consistently found, and the study suggested that doctors may have sometimes labeled different conditions with the same name, making it harder to understand what was really happening.

E2 ModerateCohortPEM unclearObservational

[Epidemic myalgic encephalomyelitis].

Walther, H·Schweizerische Rundschau fur Medizin Praxis = Revue suisse de medecine Praxis·1972

This 1972 case study describes an outbreak of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a serious illness causing muscle pain, brain inflammation, and extreme fatigue. The author documented patients who experienced this epidemic, helping early medical professionals recognize and understand the disease pattern.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Genetic depletion of the early autophagy protein ATG13 impairs mitochondrial energy metabolism, augments oxidative stress, induces the polarization of macrophages to the M1 inflammatory mode, and compromises myelin integrity in skeletal muscle.

Toriola, Mubaraq A, Timlin, Emma, Bulbule, Sarojini et al.·Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.]·2026

This study examined a protein called ATG13 that helps cells clean up damaged parts, particularly in immune cells called macrophages. When ATG13 was reduced, these immune cells couldn't work properly, their energy-producing structures (mitochondria) became dysfunctional, and they created too much harmful oxidative stress. This triggered the immune cells to switch into an inflammatory state and caused muscle weakness and nerve damage in a mouse model.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

A research perspective on sphingolipid metabolism and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Xiao, Junhua·Neural regeneration research·2026

This study examines how the body breaks down and uses a type of fat called sphingolipids, which are important for nerve cell function and communication. The researchers reviewed existing knowledge about sphingolipid metabolism to understand whether problems in this process might contribute to ME/CFS symptoms like fatigue and pain. This perspective piece suggests that disruptions in how the body handles these fats could potentially play a role in the disease, though more research is needed to confirm this.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Current Concepts and Treatment Options in the Management of Fibromyalgia.

Li, Nathan, Cooper, Joshua, Fleming, Tanisha et al.·Psychopharmacology bulletin·2026

This article reviews what doctors and researchers currently understand about fibromyalgia, a chronic condition causing widespread pain and many other symptoms. While the exact causes remain unclear, scientists are finding potential clues in brain imaging, genes, and gut bacteria. The article explains how doctors diagnose fibromyalgia and what treatment options are available, emphasizing that managing it often requires a team approach with different specialists.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Vink, Mark, Vink-Niese, Alexandra·Journal of clinical medicine·2026

This article reviews what we know about severe ME/CFS, a serious illness that can leave people completely bedbound and dependent on caregivers. Currently, there is no blood test or scan that can diagnose ME/CFS, though a special two-day exercise test can help document the problem. The authors emphasize that severe ME/CFS is a major medical condition that has received very little research funding, and there are currently no proven treatments available.

Severe MEPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Reduced Adenosine Triphosphate-to-Phosphocreatine Ratios in Neuropsychiatric Post-COVID Condition: Evidence From 31P Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Weber-Fahr, Wolfgang, Dommke, Sandra, Sack, Markus et al.·Biological psychiatry·2026

This study looked at how the brain produces and uses energy in people with long COVID and cognitive problems. Using a special brain imaging scan, researchers found that people with long COVID have lower energy levels in a part of their brain called the cingulate cortex, and this energy shortage is linked to thinking and memory problems. The findings suggest that problems with how brain cells produce energy may be a key reason why some people experience cognitive difficulties after COVID-19.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID as Neuroimmune Disorders.

Blitshteyn, Svetlana, Doherty, Taylor A, Steinman, Lawrence·ImmunoTargets and therapy·2026

This editorial argues that three related conditions—POTS, ME/CFS, and Long COVID—should be understood and studied together as disorders affecting both the nervous system and immune system. The authors identify several common problems in these conditions, including heart rate abnormalities when standing, immune system dysfunction, and reduced blood flow to the brain. They believe treating these as a single category of disease could improve how doctors train, research, and care for patients with these serious illnesses.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Single-cell analysis reveals immune remodeling of monocytes, NK cells, T cell exhaustion, and Galectin-9-associated depletion of gamma delta and mucosal-associated invariant T cells in Long COVID with ME/CFS.

Shahbaz, Shima, Bozorgmehr, Najmeh, Rahmati, Amirhossein et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2026

Researchers analyzed immune cells from Long COVID patients with ME/CFS symptoms one year after COVID-19 infection and compared them to people who recovered normally. They found that Long COVID patients have significant problems with multiple immune cell types: fewer protective T cells, exhausted immune cells, and excessive inflammation markers. Interestingly, Long COVID patients showed different immune changes compared to people with ME/CFS from other causes, suggesting Long COVID may damage the immune system in a distinct way.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Gradual proactive regulation of body state by reinforcement learning of homeostasis.

Fujiwara, Mana, Naoki, Honda·Neuroscience research·2026

Your body naturally tries to keep things like temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar steady through a process called homeostasis. This study created a computer model showing how your body learns to anticipate and prepare for challenges based on past experience—like how you might shiver before getting cold. The model also shows how problems can cascade through your body when different systems share the same control signals, which may help explain why ME/CFS patients often experience multiple symptoms affecting different body systems at the same time.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Pathophysiological mechanisms of fatigue and multidisciplinary management strategies (Review).

Zhou, Hong, Yu, Wenwen, Lei, Jiaming et al.·Experimental and therapeutic medicine·2026

This review examines why people feel extreme fatigue and how doctors can better manage it. The authors explain that fatigue involves problems with how the body makes energy, stress chemicals in the body, and the immune system. They discuss how new technologies and teamwork between different medical specialists—plus telemedicine—can help patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and other conditions feel better.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Utility of Urinary β2-Microglobulin for Detection of Renal Sarcoidosis Without Pulmonary Involvement: A Case Report.

Oue, Yuri, Saiki, Ryosuke, Murata, Tomohiro et al.·Reports (MDPI)·2026

This case report describes a 60-year-old woman who was initially misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome when she actually had sarcoidosis (an inflammatory disease) affecting her kidneys. Doctors discovered this by finding very high levels of a protein called β2-microglobulin in her urine, which led to a kidney biopsy that confirmed the diagnosis. After treatment with a steroid medication, her kidney function improved and her fatigue completely resolved.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Comparison of transcriptional activation by corticosteroids of human MR (Ile-180) and haplotype (Val-180).

Katsu, Yoshinao, Zhang, Jiawen, Ao, Ya et al.·Biochemical and biophysical research communications·2026

This study examined how a common genetic variation in the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)—a protein that helps the body respond to stress hormones—works differently than the standard version. Researchers tested whether existing medications (spironolactone and progesterone) could block this variant receptor in brain cells. The findings suggest these medications might help regulate overactive stress responses that could contribute to chronic fatigue symptoms.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Indistinguishable mitochondrial phenotypes after exposure of healthy myoblasts to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or control serum.

Ryback, Audrey A, Hillier, Charles B, Loureiro, Camila M et al.·PloS one·2026

Researchers wanted to test whether something in the blood of people with ME/CFS could damage the energy-producing parts of cells (mitochondria) when added to healthy cells in the lab. They tested blood from 67 people with ME/CFS and 53 healthy people on cultured muscle cells and measured how well the cells could use oxygen. Unlike a previous smaller study, they found no difference between the ME/CFS blood and healthy blood samples.

BiomarkersEnergy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Immunomodulatory and locomotor regulations via Diosgenin treatment in lipopolysaccharide-induced chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ depressive despair symptom: an in vivo assessment.

Shirole, Rahul Lotan, Khalane, Mohan Rajendra, Nage, Vijayeta Pralhad et al.·Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology·2026

This study tested a natural compound called diosgenin (found in fenugreek) to see if it could help with fatigue and depression-like symptoms in mice given a substance that triggered an immune response similar to what happens in ME/CFS. Mice treated with diosgenin showed improvements in activity levels, reduced fatigue-like behavior, and their brains had less inflammation and stress. The results suggest diosgenin might be worth investigating further as a potential treatment.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Gulf War Illness: A Historical Review and Considerations of a Post-Viral Syndrome.

Bast, Elizabeth, Jester, Dylan J, Palacio, Ana et al.·Military medicine·2026

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic condition affecting 30-40% of veterans deployed during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, causing fatigue, pain, memory problems, digestive issues, and other symptoms similar to ME/CFS and long COVID. This review examines whether GWI might be caused by a viral infection, similar to how long COVID develops after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors suggest that veterans may have been exposed to a coronavirus related to MERS during their deployment, and they call for more research to explore this possibility.

Long COVID Overlap

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Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Frequency of 'chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection' in a general medical practice.

Depression in patients with neuromyasthenia (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis).

Blood rheology and myalgic encephalomyelitis: a pilot study.

A study of Coxsackie B virus infections, 1972-1983.

Personality and medical perception in benign myalgic encephalomyelitis.

[Epidemic myalgic encephalomyelitis].

Genetic depletion of the early autophagy protein ATG13 impairs mitochondrial energy metabolism, augments oxidative stress, induces the polarization of macrophages to the M1 inflammatory mode, and compromises myelin integrity in skeletal muscle.

A research perspective on sphingolipid metabolism and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Current Concepts and Treatment Options in the Management of Fibromyalgia.

An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Reduced Adenosine Triphosphate-to-Phosphocreatine Ratios in Neuropsychiatric Post-COVID Condition: Evidence From 31P Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID as Neuroimmune Disorders.

Single-cell analysis reveals immune remodeling of monocytes, NK cells, T cell exhaustion, and Galectin-9-associated depletion of gamma delta and mucosal-associated invariant T cells in Long COVID with ME/CFS.

Gradual proactive regulation of body state by reinforcement learning of homeostasis.

Pathophysiological mechanisms of fatigue and multidisciplinary management strategies (Review).

Utility of Urinary β2-Microglobulin for Detection of Renal Sarcoidosis Without Pulmonary Involvement: A Case Report.

Comparison of transcriptional activation by corticosteroids of human MR (Ile-180) and haplotype (Val-180).

Indistinguishable mitochondrial phenotypes after exposure of healthy myoblasts to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or control serum.

Immunomodulatory and locomotor regulations via Diosgenin treatment in lipopolysaccharide-induced chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ depressive despair symptom: an in vivo assessment.

Gulf War Illness: A Historical Review and Considerations of a Post-Viral Syndrome.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

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