ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

4021–4040 of 6,209 studies

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredObservational

Exploring the central mechanism of mind-regulation electroacupuncture in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome with anxiety and depression comorbidity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Zeng, Xiangxin, Feng, Chuwen, Zhang, Muhua et al.·Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion·2024

This study tested whether a specific type of acupuncture called 'mind-regulation electroacupuncture' could help people with ME/CFS who also have anxiety and depression. Researchers used brain imaging to see how the treatment changed activity patterns in the brains of 30 patients compared to 30 healthy people. After 2 weeks of treatment, patients reported less fatigue, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems, and their brain scans showed changes in areas related to emotions and fatigue.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

Attenuating post-exertional malaise in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID: Is blood lactate monitoring the answer?

Faghy, Professor Mark A, Ashton, Dr Ruth Em, McNelis, Mr Robin et al.·Current problems in cardiology·2024

This editorial discusses whether measuring blood lactate levels could help manage post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the debilitating fatigue that occurs after physical activity in ME/CFS and long-COVID patients. The authors suggest that blood lactate monitoring might help identify safe exercise limits and prevent PEM crashes. However, this is an opinion piece rather than a research study with new data.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

A taxonomy of threat and soothing influences in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and central sensitivity syndromes.

Hijne, Kim, Gerritsen, Lotte, Pinto, Ana M et al.·International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP·2024

This study asked nearly 700 people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and related conditions what makes their symptoms worse and what helps them feel better. Researchers then organized these responses into 8 types of 'threats' (things that worsen symptoms, like stress or overactivity) and 10 types of 'soothers' (things that help, like rest, support from others, and understanding). The results create a practical checklist that doctors and patients can use together to identify what triggers each person's symptoms and what treatments might help most.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Acute Compartment Syndrome and Rhabdomyolysis Caused by a Single Electrical Muscle Stimulation in a 46-Year-Old Female Professional Athlete With Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Disorder: A Case Report.

von Deneen, Karen M, Alemayehu, Dereje Gobena, Khosla, Ajit·Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine·2024

This case report describes a 46-year-old female athlete with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia who experienced a serious muscle injury called rhabdomyolysis after just one session of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training. Her muscles broke down severely enough to cause compartment syndrome—a dangerous swelling in the muscle tissue—requiring intensive hospital care with fluids and medications. The report warns that people with ME/CFS and similar chronic conditions should be very cautious with EMS training because their bodies may react more severely to this type of exercise.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryPEM not required

'The world was going through what we go through everyday': The experiences of women with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) living with their partners during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Sehmbi, Tarnjit, Wearden, Alison, Peters, Sarah et al.·British journal of health psychology·2024

This study asked 21 women with ME/CFS in the UK about their experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown, particularly how living with their partners affected them. The researchers found that while lockdown disrupted the routines these women had carefully built to manage their illness, having their partners at home more often was actually helpful. Interestingly, the lockdown made them feel less different from the rest of society, though they worried greatly about catching COVID-19 and making their ME/CFS worse.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Microvascular Capillary and Precapillary Cardiovascular Disturbances Strongly Interact to Severely Affect Tissue Perfusion and Mitochondrial Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Evolving from the Post COVID-19 Syndrome.

Wirth, Klaus Josef, Löhn, Matthias·Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)·2024

This study proposes that ME/CFS may develop from COVID-19 in some people due to problems with how blood flows through tiny vessels in the body. The researchers suggest that abnormal blood cells and clots, combined with weak heart function and overly constricted blood vessels, create a double problem that starves muscles of oxygen and damages the energy-producing structures (mitochondria) inside cells. This combination may trigger a harmful cycle that keeps the problem going.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Determining the societal value of a prospective drug for ME/CFS in Germany.

Gandjour, Afschin·PloS one·2024

This study examined how much money Germany should invest in developing a new ME/CFS drug to provide the greatest benefit to patients and society. Researchers calculated that an effective ME/CFS drug could improve quality of life for thousands of patients and save billions of euros, and they determined that Germany's optimal investment would be around €676 million. The study emphasizes that developing ME/CFS treatments requires countries to work together internationally because no single country can bear the full cost alone.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

'Welcome to my world': a thematic analysis of the lived experiences of people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis during the UK COVID-19 lockdown.

Portch, Emma, Moseley, Rachel L, Wignall, Liam et al.·Psychology & health·2024

This study asked 30 people with ME/CFS about their experiences during the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The researchers found that while digital tools became more accessible during lockdown (which helped some participants), people with ME/CFS had already developed their own coping strategies from being isolated by their illness for years. Participants were concerned that once lockdown ended, society wouldn't better understand what it's like to live with severe restrictions due to illness.

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 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

[Interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy in postviral syndromes and ME/CFS : Features, pitfalls and model concept].

Luchting, Benjamin, Behrends, Uta, Eigner, Bianca et al.·Schmerz (Berlin, Germany)·2024

Standard pain therapy programs often push patients to gradually increase their activity levels, but this approach can be harmful for people with ME/CFS because of postexertional malaise (PEM)—a worsening of symptoms after physical or mental effort. This paper reviews how pain therapy should be redesigned specifically for ME/CFS patients and presents a new model clinic program that carefully adjusts treatment to each person's individual tolerance levels to avoid triggering symptom flares.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclear

Successful treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome using hydrogen gas: four case reports.

Hirano, Shin-Ichi, Ichikawa, Yusuke, Sato, Bunpei et al.·Medical gas research·2024

This study looked at four patients with ME/CFS who were treated with hydrogen gas and reported improvements in their symptoms. The researchers described how each patient used hydrogen gas therapy and what changes they noticed over time. While the results are encouraging for these individual cases, this is a very small study that needs much larger research to confirm whether hydrogen gas could help ME/CFS patients more broadly.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Cardiac Geometry and Function in Patients with Reflex Syncope.

Coseriu, Giorgia, Schiop-Tentea, Patricia, Apetrei, Csilla-Andrea et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

This review examines how the size and function of the heart relate to fainting episodes in people with reflex syncope. Researchers found that people with smaller hearts and very forceful heartbeats are more prone to fainting, and this pattern is also seen in some people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Understanding these heart differences may help doctors predict who will faint again and choose better treatments.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Using time diaries to inform occupational therapy practice for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An exploratory study.

Roxburgh, Rachel, Hughes, Julie, Milgate, Wendy·The British journal of occupational therapy·2024

This Australian study looked at how nine people with ME/CFS spend their time each day using a special diary tool. Researchers found that participants spent about 58% of their waking time on leisure and relaxation activities, and their symptoms didn't seem to change much throughout the day. The study suggests that using time diaries could help occupational therapists (specialists who help people manage daily activities) understand better how ME/CFS affects what patients can do, and design better support strategies.

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

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Central 5-HTergic hyperactivity induces myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)-like pathophysiology.

Lee, Jin-Seok, Kang, Ji-Yun, Park, Samuel-Young et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2024

Researchers found that excess serotonin (a brain chemical) in a specific brain region called the dorsal raphe nuclei can cause fatigue and symptoms similar to ME/CFS in mice. They tested this by giving mice high doses of common antidepressants (SSRIs) that increase serotonin levels, and the mice developed severe tiredness, difficulty with physical activity, and problems with their stress response system. This suggests that too much serotonin activity in the brain might be involved in causing ME/CFS symptoms.

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 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 requiredMechanistic

Single-cell transcriptomics of the immune system in ME/CFS at baseline and following symptom provocation.

Vu, Luyen Tien, Ahmed, Faraz, Zhu, Hongya et al.·Cell reports. Medicine·2024

Researchers used advanced technology to examine immune cells from ME/CFS patients and healthy controls, both at rest and after exercise. They found that ME/CFS patients have problems with a type of immune cell called monocytes that appear abnormal and may be moving into tissues inappropriately. After exercise, patients showed additional problems with platelets (cells involved in blood clotting), suggesting the disease involves multiple layers of immune system dysfunction.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Effect of Licorice polysaccharides before and after honey-processing on improving chronic fatigue syndrome and its mechanism.

Xia, Wenxin, Wang, Yushu, Tao, Mengxin et al.·International journal of biological macromolecules·2024

This study examined how processing licorice root with honey affects its ability to help with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Researchers found that honey-processed licorice contains higher amounts of certain beneficial components and produced stronger improvements in immune markers (IL-2, IFN-γ, and IgA) compared to raw licorice. The honey processing appears to enhance the plant's natural ability to support the immune system.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Developing a clinical-pathological framework of long COVID-related fatigue applied to public safety workers.

Lofrano-Porto, Adriana, D'Isabel, Susanne, Smith, Denise L·Frontiers in medicine·2024

This article reviews what we know about long COVID fatigue, especially in firefighters and other public safety workers. The authors explain why fatigue after COVID is so hard to diagnose and treat, since patients often look healthy on the outside even though they feel extremely tired. They describe possible biological reasons for this fatigue and discuss why it matters for workers whose jobs require them to be physically and mentally alert.

DiagnosticsLong COVID Overlap

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Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Exploring the central mechanism of mind-regulation electroacupuncture in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome with anxiety and depression comorbidity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Attenuating post-exertional malaise in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long-COVID: Is blood lactate monitoring the answer?

A taxonomy of threat and soothing influences in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and central sensitivity syndromes.

Acute Compartment Syndrome and Rhabdomyolysis Caused by a Single Electrical Muscle Stimulation in a 46-Year-Old Female Professional Athlete With Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Disorder: A Case Report.

'The world was going through what we go through everyday': The experiences of women with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) living with their partners during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Microvascular Capillary and Precapillary Cardiovascular Disturbances Strongly Interact to Severely Affect Tissue Perfusion and Mitochondrial Function in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Evolving from the Post COVID-19 Syndrome.

Determining the societal value of a prospective drug for ME/CFS in Germany.

'Welcome to my world': a thematic analysis of the lived experiences of people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis during the UK COVID-19 lockdown.

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

[Interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy in postviral syndromes and ME/CFS : Features, pitfalls and model concept].

Successful treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome using hydrogen gas: four case reports.

Cardiac Geometry and Function in Patients with Reflex Syncope.

Using time diaries to inform occupational therapy practice for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An exploratory study.

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

Central 5-HTergic hyperactivity induces myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)-like pathophysiology.

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

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

Single-cell transcriptomics of the immune system in ME/CFS at baseline and following symptom provocation.

Effect of Licorice polysaccharides before and after honey-processing on improving chronic fatigue syndrome and its mechanism.

Developing a clinical-pathological framework of long COVID-related fatigue applied to public safety workers.

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Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research