ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

3941–3960 of 6,162 studies

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Unravelling shared mechanisms: insights from recent ME/CFS research to illuminate long COVID pathologies.

Annesley, Sarah J, Missailidis, Daniel, Heng, Benjamin et al.·Trends in molecular medicine·2024

This article reviews recent research on ME/CFS and long COVID, two illnesses that share similar symptoms and may have overlapping causes. ME/CFS typically develops after a viral infection and can last for many years, while long COVID is a newer condition affecting some people recovering from COVID-19. By studying ME/CFS, which has been around longer, researchers hope to better understand what might happen to long COVID patients over time and develop better treatments and tests for both conditions.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Mitochondrial DNA Missense Mutations ChrMT: 8981A > G and ChrMT: 6268C > T Identified in a Caucasian Female with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Triggered by the Epstein-Barr Virus.

Tang-Siegel, Gaoyan G, Maughan, David W, Frownfelter, Milah B et al.·Case reports in genetics·2024

This study describes one patient with ME/CFS whose symptoms began after a severe viral infection (Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis) 24 years ago. Researchers found that her cells had genetic mutations affecting the mitochondria—the 'power plants' that produce energy for our bodies—which may explain her extreme fatigue and difficulty recovering from physical activity. The study also found abnormal mitochondria circulating in her blood, suggesting that energy production problems may be contributing to her ME/CFS symptoms.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredLongitudinal

Time-dependent complexity characterisation of activity patterns in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Rabaey, Paloma, Decat, Peter, Heytens, Stefan et al.·BioPsychoSocial medicine·2024

Researchers tracked the physical activity patterns of 7 ME/CFS patients over 3 weeks to see if the complexity of how they move changes over time and relates to how well they're functioning. They found that each patient's activity complexity varied significantly from week to week, and these changes didn't consistently match whether patients reported feeling better or worse. This suggests that measuring activity patterns alone may not be a reliable way to track how ME/CFS patients are doing.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCase-Control

Identification of CD8 T-cell dysfunction associated with symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID and treatment with a nebulized antioxidant/anti-pathogen agent in a retrospective case series.

Gil, Anna, Hoag, George E, Salerno, John P et al.·Brain, behavior, & immunity - health·2024

This study found that people with ME/CFS and Long COVID have immune cells (called CD8 T-cells) that don't work properly—they can't produce certain protective substances as well as healthy people can. The researchers also tested a nebulized (inhaled) treatment made from five natural antioxidant ingredients in a small group of patients and found that both the immune cell function and symptom severity improved over time with treatment, without serious side effects.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearCase-Control

[Effect of ECT on chronic fatigue syndrome].

Novakovic, Mina, Løhde, Linda, Brandt-Christensen, Anne Mette et al.·Ugeskrift for laeger·2024

This case report describes an older woman who was diagnosed with ME/CFS 30 years ago but was later found to actually have depression with severe fatigue as a main symptom. She received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression and regained the ability to walk after six years of immobility. The case highlights how depression and ME/CFS can look similar and sometimes get confused with one another.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Nutrition and Chronobiology as Key Components of Multidisciplinary Therapeutic Interventions for Fibromyalgia and Associated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Narrative and Critical Review.

Carrasco-Querol, Noèlia, Cabricano-Canga, Lorena, Bueno Hernández, Nerea et al.·Nutrients·2024

This review examines how diet and body rhythms (sleep-wake cycles) affect fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. The authors found that what you eat, nutrient levels, gut bacteria, and your natural circadian rhythm all play important roles in these conditions. They conclude that treating FM/CFS effectively requires paying attention to nutrition and sleep timing alongside other therapies.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredCase-Control

Pediatric and adult patients with ME/CFS following COVID-19: A structured approach to diagnosis using the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaire (MBSQ).

Peo, Laura-Carlotta, Wiehler, Katharina, Paulick, Johannes et al.·European journal of pediatrics·2024

This study looked at young people (ages 11-25) who developed ME/CFS after having COVID-19, even when their initial infection was mild or asymptomatic. Researchers created new questionnaires called the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaires (MBSQs) to help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more easily and consistently. The study found that ten young patients had severe problems with daily activities and quality of life after developing ME/CFS following COVID-19.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredMethods-Paper

Assessing Functional Capacity in Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Patient-Informed Questionnaire.

Sommerfelt, Kristian, Schei, Trude, Seton, Katharine A et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

Researchers created a new questionnaire called FUNCAP to measure how much people with ME/CFS can actually do in their daily lives. The tool has two versions: a longer one with 55 questions (for doctors and disability assessments) and a shorter one with 27 questions (for regular check-ups). After testing it with thousands of patients from Norway and around the world, they found it works reliably and accurately captures the impact of ME/CFS on real-life activities.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

Designing and optimizing clinical trials for long COVID.

Vogel, Julia Moore, Pollack, Beth, Spier, Ezra et al.·Life sciences·2024

This study looked at all the clinical trials being tested for Long COVID on a public database and found that most trials are not well-designed or testing treatments that have enough evidence to justify testing. The researchers recommend that future trials should test actual medications that might cure Long COVID, be able to run remotely so sick patients don't have to travel, compare Long COVID to similar illnesses like ME/CFS, include diverse patients of all backgrounds and illness levels, and involve patients as research partners.

Long COVID Overlap

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Dysregulation of extracellular vesicle protein cargo in female myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome cases and sedentary controls in response to maximal exercise.

Giloteaux, Ludovic, Glass, Katherine A, Germain, Arnaud et al.·Journal of extracellular vesicles·2024

When people without ME/CFS exercise, their bodies release tiny particles called extracellular vesicles that help cells communicate and recover. This study found that in people with ME/CFS, these particles carry different proteins after exercise compared to healthy people, and these differences match how severe a person's symptoms are. This suggests that ME/CFS patients' bodies may have a distinct biological response to exercise that could explain why exertion makes their symptoms worse.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Heat treatment in health and disease: How water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) irradiation affects key cellular mechanisms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients compared to healthy donors.

Hochecker, Barbara, Molinski, Noah, Matt, Katja et al.·Journal of thermal biology·2024

This study tested whether a gentle heat treatment called water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) could affect how cells work in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people. Researchers warmed cells from both groups to 39°C for one hour and looked at three important cellular processes: autophagy (cells cleaning themselves), mitochondrial function (energy production), and gene activity. The heat treatment activated cleaning and stress-response processes in all cells tested, and in ME/CFS cells specifically, it slightly reduced the high mitochondrial activity toward levels seen in healthy cells.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Mast cells in the autonomic nervous system and potential role in disorders with dysautonomia and neuroinflammation.

Theoharides, Theoharis C, Twahir, Assma, Kempuraj, Duraisamy·Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology·2024

This study examines mast cells, which are immune cells found throughout the body, and how they may be involved in conditions like ME/CFS that affect the nervous system and cause abnormal heart rate and blood pressure responses. Mast cells sit near nerve endings and important organs, where they can release chemicals that affect how the body regulates basic functions like temperature and blood pressure. The researchers suggest that controlling mast cell activation might help treat these conditions, though currently there are no proven treatments.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Repeated cold stress, an animal model for fibromyalgia, elicits proprioceptor-induced chronic pain with microglial activation in mice.

Wakatsuki, Koji, Kiryu-Seo, Sumiko, Yasui, Masaya et al.·Journal of neuroinflammation·2024

Researchers used mice exposed to repeated cold stress to study how chronic pain develops, similar to fibromyalgia. They found that sensory nerve cells (proprioceptors) become overactive and trigger immune cells in the nervous system called microglia to become inflamed. When they reduced microglial activity with a drug, the pain improved, suggesting that this immune activation along nerve pathways may be a key driver of long-lasting pain.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Dysregulation of tetrahydrobiopterin metabolism in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome by pentose phosphate pathway.

Bulbule, Sarojini, Gottschalk, Carl Gunnar, Drosen, Molly E et al.·Journal of central nervous system disease·2024

Researchers found that patients with ME/CFS who experience dizziness upon standing have abnormally high levels of certain molecules called biopterins in their blood. The study discovered that these molecules are produced through an unusual metabolic pathway involving the breakdown of glucose, and this pathway appears to trigger inflammation in immune cells. This finding suggests a potential biochemical explanation for some ME/CFS symptoms.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target.

Sasso, Etianne Martini, Muraki, Katsuhiko, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie et al.·Frontiers in immunology·2024

This study looked at a tiny channel (called TRPM3) that sits on immune cells called NK cells, which help fight infections. Researchers found that both ME/CFS and post-COVID patients have a broken version of this channel. Importantly, they discovered that a drug called naltrexone (NTX) could fix this broken channel in lab-grown cells from post-COVID patients, suggesting it might help real patients feel better.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Clinical Remission After Therapeutic Apheresis in a Patient Suffering from Long Term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Case Report.

Burgard, Harald·International medical case reports journal·2024

This case report describes one woman with ME/CFS for over 15 years who underwent a blood-cleaning treatment called double-filtration apheresis eight times over two years. After treatment, she experienced significant improvement in her fatigue, thinking problems, and other symptoms, with benefits that lasted over time. While this is promising, it is based on just one patient's experience and needs much larger studies to confirm whether this treatment works for others with ME/CFS.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

[Therapeutic effect and mechanism of Jingfang Granules on chronic fatigue syndrome based on intestinal flora and metabolomics].

Wang, Kun, Wei, Fang-Jiao, Cui, De-Yu et al.·Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica·2024

Researchers tested a traditional Chinese herbal treatment called Jingfang Granules on mice with fatigue symptoms similar to ME/CFS. The treatment improved the mice's physical endurance, reduced markers of exhaustion and inflammation in the blood and tissues, and appeared to work by restoring healthy gut bacteria and adjusting how the body processes certain amino acids.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

SEMIPARAMETRIC BIVARIATE HIERARCHICAL STATE SPACE MODEL WITH APPLICATION TO HORMONE CIRCADIAN RELATIONSHIP.

You, Mengying, Guo, Wensheng·The annals of applied statistics·2024

This study looked at two stress hormones—ACTH and cortisol—in people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia compared to healthy controls. Using a new mathematical method to track these hormones over time, researchers found that healthy people show a normal daily rhythm in how these hormones work together, while patients with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia show an irregular, unpredictable pattern instead.

Endocrine Disruption

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

A Practical Approach to Tailor the Term Long COVID for Diagnostics, Therapy and Epidemiological Research for Improved Long COVID Patient Care.

Hoffmann, Kathryn, Stingl, Michael, O'Mahony, Liam et al.·Infectious diseases and therapy·2024

This paper proposes a clearer way to define and categorize long COVID by splitting it into three distinct groups: ongoing COVID-19 symptoms, diseases triggered or worsened by COVID-19, and post-acute COVID condition (which includes symptoms like post-exertional malaise and brain fog). Using clearer definitions and standardized medical codes would help doctors diagnose patients more accurately and allow researchers to study long COVID more effectively.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Identification of stimuli that enhance human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) replication and reconstitution.

Reich, Jana, Serdar, Dilan, Weißmann, Ann-Christin et al.·Journal of virology·2024

This study focuses on improving laboratory techniques for studying HHV-6A, a common virus that stays dormant in the body for life. Researchers tested different methods to grow this virus in the lab more efficiently, discovering that certain immune-suppressing drugs and low-oxygen conditions help the virus replicate better. While this doesn't directly treat ME/CFS patients, understanding how HHV-6A behaves in the lab is an important step toward developing better treatments.

Immune System

← Previous Next 20 studies →

Or browse by topic

PEM Immune Neuro Metabolic Biomarkers Severe ME Long COVID Cognitive

Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Unravelling shared mechanisms: insights from recent ME/CFS research to illuminate long COVID pathologies.

Mitochondrial DNA Missense Mutations ChrMT: 8981A > G and ChrMT: 6268C > T Identified in a Caucasian Female with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Triggered by the Epstein-Barr Virus.

Time-dependent complexity characterisation of activity patterns in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Identification of CD8 T-cell dysfunction associated with symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID and treatment with a nebulized antioxidant/anti-pathogen agent in a retrospective case series.

[Effect of ECT on chronic fatigue syndrome].

Nutrition and Chronobiology as Key Components of Multidisciplinary Therapeutic Interventions for Fibromyalgia and Associated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Narrative and Critical Review.

Pediatric and adult patients with ME/CFS following COVID-19: A structured approach to diagnosis using the Munich Berlin Symptom Questionnaire (MBSQ).

Assessing Functional Capacity in Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Patient-Informed Questionnaire.

Designing and optimizing clinical trials for long COVID.

Dysregulation of extracellular vesicle protein cargo in female myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome cases and sedentary controls in response to maximal exercise.

Heat treatment in health and disease: How water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) irradiation affects key cellular mechanisms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients compared to healthy donors.

Mast cells in the autonomic nervous system and potential role in disorders with dysautonomia and neuroinflammation.

Repeated cold stress, an animal model for fibromyalgia, elicits proprioceptor-induced chronic pain with microglial activation in mice.

Dysregulation of tetrahydrobiopterin metabolism in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome by pentose phosphate pathway.

Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target.

Clinical Remission After Therapeutic Apheresis in a Patient Suffering from Long Term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Case Report.

[Therapeutic effect and mechanism of Jingfang Granules on chronic fatigue syndrome based on intestinal flora and metabolomics].

SEMIPARAMETRIC BIVARIATE HIERARCHICAL STATE SPACE MODEL WITH APPLICATION TO HORMONE CIRCADIAN RELATIONSHIP.

A Practical Approach to Tailor the Term Long COVID for Diagnostics, Therapy and Epidemiological Research for Improved Long COVID Patient Care.

Identification of stimuli that enhance human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) replication and reconstitution.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research