ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

4541–4560 of 6,188 studies

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Recent advances in our understanding of mast cell activation - or should it be mast cell mediator disorders?

Theoharides, Theoharis C, Tsilioni, Irene, Ren, Huali·Expert review of clinical immunology·2019

Mast cells are immune cells in your body that release chemical messengers (mediators) in response to many different triggers—not just allergies. When these cells release too many mediators, they can cause widespread symptoms affecting multiple body systems, including the brain and nervous system. This review suggests that doctors should look for elevated levels of these chemical messengers to help diagnose and treat these conditions, rather than waiting for the traditional markers (like histamine and tryptase) that don't always show up.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

RIFD - A brief clinical research interview for functional somatic disorders and health anxiety.

Petersen, Marie Weinreich, Schröder, Andreas, Jørgensen, Torben et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2019

Researchers developed a new interview tool called RIFD to help doctors identify people with chronic fatigue syndrome and similar conditions that cause long-term physical symptoms. Instead of relying only on questionnaires, trained doctors conducted phone interviews with nearly 1,600 people from Denmark to see if the tool could accurately spot cases. The interview was quick, easy to do, and people were satisfied with it.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Varied Presentation of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Needs for Classification and Clinician Education: A Case Series.

Martín-Martínez, Eva, Martín-Martínez, Mercedes·Clinical therapeutics·2019

This study looked at three individual ME/CFS patient cases to understand why this disease presents so differently from person to person. The researchers found that patients often wait years for a correct diagnosis because many doctors don't understand ME/CFS well, leading to misdiagnosis and delays in treatment. The study suggests that organizing patient information carefully could help doctors and researchers identify different subtypes of ME/CFS.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Neurasthenia: Modern Malady or Historical Relic?

Overholser, James C, Beale, Eleanor E·The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2019

This article looks back at a condition called neurasthenia that doctors diagnosed frequently between 1869 and 1930, then largely abandoned. The authors found that many symptoms people with neurasthenia experienced—like exhaustion, mental fog, and physical weakness—are still seen today in conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia. By understanding neurasthenia's history, modern doctors may better recognize and treat these conditions and improve how they listen to their patients.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

Understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Emerging Osteopathic Approach: A Narrative Review.

Larrimore, Christopher, Ramnot, Amanda, Jaghab, Annmarie et al.·The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association·2019

This article reviews what scientists know about ME/CFS, including its symptoms, how it affects the body, and why it's hard to diagnose. The authors discuss both traditional medical approaches and osteopathic treatment (a type of hands-on therapy that focuses on the body's structure and function) as possible ways to help people with ME/CFS feel better. The review emphasizes that ME/CFS is a real, serious illness that deserves more awareness among doctors and better treatment options.

Immune SystemCognitive ImpairmentPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

"It's not one size fits all"; the use of videoconferencing for delivering therapy in a Specialist Paediatric Chronic Fatigue Service.

Haig-Ferguson, Andrew, Loades, Maria, Whittle, Charlotte et al.·Internet interventions·2019

This study looked at whether young people with ME/CFS could receive therapy through video calls (like Skype) instead of traveling to hospital appointments. Researchers interviewed 12 young patients, 6 parents, and 9 healthcare workers about their experiences. Most people found video appointments helpful for reducing travel, though some worried about privacy and felt that something was lost compared to face-to-face meetings.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[From neurasthenia to post-exertion disease: Evolution of the diagnostic criteria of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis].

Murga, Íñigo, Lafuente, José-Vicente·Atencion primaria·2019

This study traces how ME/CFS has been named and diagnosed over the past 150+ years, from 'neurasthenia' in the 1800s to today's 'post-exertional malaise.' The researchers reviewed medical literature to show how our understanding of this disease has evolved, and highlight that doctors still diagnose it mainly by symptoms and by ruling out other conditions, since no single biological marker has been found.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Gulf War Illness: Unifying Hypothesis for a Continuing Health Problem.

Mawson, Anthony R, Croft, Ashley M·International journal of environmental research and public health·2019

Gulf War Illness (GWI) affects 25-32% of veterans from the 1991 Gulf War and causes chronic pain, fatigue, weakness, headaches, and thinking problems. This paper proposes that a combination of vaccinations and exposure to chemicals like an anti-nerve-agent drug (pyridostigmine bromide) may have damaged veterans' livers, causing them to release vitamin A at toxic levels into the bloodstream. This liver-based explanation could also help explain similar conditions like ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivities.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Therapeutic Effect and Metabolic Mechanism of A Selenium-Polysaccharide from Ziyang Green Tea on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Shao, Changzhuan, Song, Jing, Zhao, Shanguang et al.·Polymers·2018

Researchers tested whether a compound called selenium-polysaccharide (Se-TP) from a Chinese green tea called Ziyang could help rats with fatigue similar to ME/CFS. They found that the treatment improved certain markers in the rats' blood and urine, suggesting it may work by affecting how the body makes and uses steroid hormones and processes amino acids.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Causality on longitudinal data: Stable specification search in constrained structural equation modeling.

Rahmadi, Ridho, Groot, Perry, van Rijn, Marieke Hc et al.·Statistical methods in medical research·2018

This study developed a new statistical method for finding cause-and-effect relationships in long-term health data, even when sample sizes are small. The researchers tested their method on data from people with chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, and chronic kidney disease, and found it could identify stable patterns of how different health factors influence each other over time.

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclearBiobank-Resource

Using a participatory approach to develop and implement the UK ME/CFS Biobank.

Lacerda, Eliana M, Kingdon, Caroline C, Bowman, Erinna W et al.·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2018

This study describes how researchers in the UK created a biobank—a collection of biological samples and health information from ME/CFS patients—using input from patients themselves. By involving patients in the planning and running of the biobank, the researchers were able to build a resource that better meets the needs of both patients and scientists studying the disease.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Stress, inflammation and natural treatments.

Theoharides, T C, Kavalioti, M·Journal of biological regulators and homeostatic agents·2018

This study explores how stress and inflammation work together to cause several conditions including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and others. The researchers found that immune cells called mast cells and brain cells called microglia may communicate in ways that trigger inflammation during stress. They suggest that a natural supplement combining luteolin and Ashwagandha might help reduce this inflammation and benefit patients with these conditions.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

The expression signature of very long non-coding RNA in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Yang, Chin-An, Bauer, Sandra, Ho, Yu-Chen et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2018

Researchers looked at special molecules called very long non-coding RNAs in the blood of ME/CFS patients to see if they might be disease markers. They found that three of these RNA molecules (NTT, MIAT, and EmX2OS) were present at higher levels in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people, and two of them (NTT and EmX2OS) increased with disease severity. When they tested these findings in lab cells exposed to oxidative stress and viral signals, the RNA levels increased, suggesting these molecules respond to the kinds of biological stresses that may occur in ME/CFS.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Insights & Advances in Care.

Bested, Alison·Alternative therapies in health and medicine·2018

This article reviews current knowledge and treatment options for ME/CFS, a condition that causes severe fatigue and other symptoms that get worse with activity. The author, Dr. Alison Bested, discusses what we know about how the condition affects the body and explores various approaches to managing symptoms and improving quality of life.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Loss of Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 3 ion channel function in natural killer cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients.

Cabanas, Hélène, Muraki, Katsuhiko, Eaton, Natalie et al.·Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.)·2018

This study examined a specific ion channel called TRPM3 in immune cells called natural killer (NK) cells, which help fight infections and cancer. Researchers found that this channel doesn't work properly in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people, which may affect how these immune cells function. This discovery could help explain why ME/CFS patients often have weakened immune responses.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Pharmacological activation of AMPK and glucose uptake in cultured human skeletal muscle cells from patients with ME/CFS.

Brown, Audrey E, Dibnah, Beth, Fisher, Emily et al.·Bioscience reports·2018

This study looked at muscle cells from ME/CFS patients to understand why their muscles struggle to use energy properly. Researchers tested two drugs (metformin and compound 991) that can activate AMPK, a protein that helps cells use glucose for energy. Both drugs successfully improved how the muscle cells used glucose, suggesting that the problem in ME/CFS muscles is not AMPK itself, but something that happens before AMPK gets activated.

Energy MetabolismPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The biopolitics of CFS/ME.

Karfakis, Nikos·Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences·2018

This paper examines how ME/CFS is shaped by different groups—doctors, scientists, government officials, and patients themselves—who all try to define and understand the illness. The author shows that ME/CFS sits uncomfortably between medical and psychiatric explanations, which makes it hard for everyone to agree on what it is and how to treat it. Patients aren't just passive recipients of medical care; they actively educate themselves and push back against explanations they disagree with, which influences how the illness is understood.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

[Narcolepsy and Other 'Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence'].

Mathis, Johannes·Praxis·2018

This article discusses how doctors can tell the difference between several sleep-related conditions that cause excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue. The authors explain that complaints like tiredness and fatigue are common, but they can have many different causes. Careful diagnosis using sleep studies and other tests is needed to distinguish narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and chronic fatigue syndrome from one another, since each condition requires different treatments.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Autonomic dysfunction and HPV immunization: an overview.

Blitshteyn, Svetlana, Brinth, Louise, Hendrickson, Jeanne E et al.·Immunologic research·2018

This review looked at case reports from multiple countries describing people who developed serious symptoms after HPV vaccination, including extreme fatigue, pain, dizziness, and cognitive problems. These symptoms are similar to those seen in ME/CFS, POTS, and other conditions. The authors suggest that in some genetically vulnerable people, the vaccine might trigger an immune system response that affects the nervous system, but they emphasize that timing alone doesn't prove the vaccine caused the illness.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

Open-label pilot for treatment targeting gut dysbiosis in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: neuropsychological symptoms and sex comparisons.

Wallis, Amy, Ball, Michelle, Butt, Henry et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2018

This study tested whether treating an overgrowth of Streptococcus bacteria in the gut could help ME/CFS patients, particularly those with brain fog and sleep problems. Forty-four patients received alternating weeks of an antibiotic and a probiotic for 4 weeks. The treatment reduced the problematic bacteria and improved several symptoms including sleep quality, attention, and memory, though it did not significantly affect fatigue or mood.

SleepCognitive Impairment

← Previous Next 20 studies →

Or browse by topic

PEM Immune Neuro Metabolic Biomarkers Severe ME Long COVID Cognitive

Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Recent advances in our understanding of mast cell activation - or should it be mast cell mediator disorders?

RIFD - A brief clinical research interview for functional somatic disorders and health anxiety.

Varied Presentation of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Needs for Classification and Clinician Education: A Case Series.

Neurasthenia: Modern Malady or Historical Relic?

Understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Emerging Osteopathic Approach: A Narrative Review.

"It's not one size fits all"; the use of videoconferencing for delivering therapy in a Specialist Paediatric Chronic Fatigue Service.

[From neurasthenia to post-exertion disease: Evolution of the diagnostic criteria of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis].

Gulf War Illness: Unifying Hypothesis for a Continuing Health Problem.

Therapeutic Effect and Metabolic Mechanism of A Selenium-Polysaccharide from Ziyang Green Tea on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Causality on longitudinal data: Stable specification search in constrained structural equation modeling.

Using a participatory approach to develop and implement the UK ME/CFS Biobank.

Stress, inflammation and natural treatments.

The expression signature of very long non-coding RNA in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Insights & Advances in Care.

Loss of Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 3 ion channel function in natural killer cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients.

Pharmacological activation of AMPK and glucose uptake in cultured human skeletal muscle cells from patients with ME/CFS.

The biopolitics of CFS/ME.

[Narcolepsy and Other 'Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence'].

Autonomic dysfunction and HPV immunization: an overview.

Open-label pilot for treatment targeting gut dysbiosis in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: neuropsychological symptoms and sex comparisons.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research