ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

461–480 of 6,122 studies

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

In the mind or in the brain? Scientific evidence for central sensitisation in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nijs, Jo, Meeus, Mira, Van Oosterwijck, Jessica et al.·European journal of clinical investigation·2012

This review examined whether ME/CFS involves a nervous system that becomes overly sensitive to pain and other sensations. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS do show heightened responses to various types of stimuli—including touch, pressure, heat, and electrical stimulation—across multiple body areas. Importantly, this nervous system sensitivity tends to get worse, not better, after exercise or stress, suggesting a fundamental difference in how the central nervous system responds in ME/CFS.

ME/CFS (general)

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredSystematic-Review

How to exercise people with chronic fatigue syndrome: evidence-based practice guidelines.

Van Cauwenbergh, Deborah, De Kooning, Margot, Ickmans, Kelly et al.·European journal of clinical investigation·2012

This review looked at research studies about exercise therapy for ME/CFS to figure out the best way to recommend exercise to patients. Based on 12 high-quality studies, the researchers found that aerobic exercise (like walking or cycling) works best when done about 10-11 times over 4-5 months, starting with 5-15 minute sessions at home and gradually building up to 30 minutes. They recommend increasing exercise based on time rather than how you're feeling that day.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

The prevalence of fibromyalgia in other chronic pain conditions.

Yunus, Muhammad B·Pain research and treatment·2012

This review examined how often fibromyalgia (a condition causing widespread pain and fatigue) occurs alongside other chronic pain conditions, including ME/CFS. The researchers found that fibromyalgia frequently co-occurs with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and osteoarthritis, and that it can be missed or misdiagnosed in people who have these other diseases. Recognizing fibromyalgia separately is important because it may change how doctors treat patients and what medications they use.

Pain and Sensitization

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Jason, Leonard A, Barker, Kristen, Brown, Abigail·Reviews in health care·2012

This review examines how ME/CFS affects children and teenagers, which can be quite different from how it affects adults. The authors looked at existing research on how common pediatric ME/CFS is, how doctors diagnose it, what treatments are available, and what happens to children over time. They identified important gaps in our understanding and call for better ways to recognize and help young people with this condition.

Diagnostics

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearSystematic-Review

A review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Anderson, Valerie R, Jason, Leonard A, Hlavaty, Laura E et al.·Patient education and counseling·2012

This study looked at 34 research articles that asked ME/CFS patients and doctors about their experiences with the illness. Researchers found that patients struggle with how the disease changes their identity and ability to function, while doctors often lack knowledge about ME/CFS. A major problem identified was that difficulty getting a diagnosis creates stress, misunderstanding, and unfair treatment of patients with this illness.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Biomarkers for chronic fatigue.

Klimas, Nancy G, Broderick, Gordon, Fletcher, Mary Ann·Brain, behavior, and immunity·2012

This review examines blood tests and biological markers that might help diagnose ME/CFS, since current diagnosis relies only on symptoms. The researchers found that multiple body systems—including the immune system, stress hormones, and nervous system—appear to be disrupted in ME/CFS patients. However, no single test yet reliably identifies the condition, suggesting ME/CFS may involve complex changes across several systems rather than one simple cause.

Immune System

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearSystematic-Review

Quality and acceptability of patient-reported outcome measures used in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): a systematic review.

Haywood, Kirstie L, Staniszewska, Sophie, Chapman, Sarah·Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2012

This study looked at questionnaires and surveys used to measure how ME/CFS affects patients' health and quality of life. Researchers reviewed 77 different measurement tools and found that most of them were not thoroughly tested or proven to work well. Importantly, patients were rarely involved in creating or improving these questionnaires, even though patients know best what matters to them.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Dysfunctional syndromes and fibromyalgia: a 2012 critical digest.

Sarzi-Puttini, Piercarlo, Atzeni, Fabiola, Di Franco, Manuela et al.·Clinical and experimental rheumatology·2012

This review looked at several long-lasting conditions that cause widespread pain, tiredness, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating—conditions that don't always show up clearly on standard medical tests. The researchers examined fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and irritable bowel syndrome to understand how they're connected and what causes symptoms to keep happening. They found that these conditions share similar patterns in how the nervous system processes pain and fatigue.

Cognitive ImpairmentPain and Sensitization

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredSystematic-Review

[Neuro-endocrine correlates of burnout].

Verhaeghe, J, Van Den Eede, F, Van Den Ameele, H et al.·Tijdschrift voor psychiatrie·2012

Burnout, depression, and ME/CFS can feel similar, but they work differently in the body. This review looked at how burnout affects the stress hormone system (HPA-axis). Unlike depression, which over-activates this system, burnout appears to weaken it—similar to what happens in ME/CFS. The researchers found that people with burnout have lower stress hormone responses, suggesting burnout is more like exhaustion than depression.

Endocrine Disruption

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Overlap between functional GI disorders and other functional syndromes: what are the underlying mechanisms?

Kim, S E, Chang, L·Neurogastroenterology and motility·2012

Many patients with ME/CFS experience overlapping conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and jaw pain. This review looked at what ME/CFS and similar conditions might have in common. The researchers found that these disorders likely share several underlying problems: how the body processes pain, changes in brain activity, possible past infections, immune system problems, and genetic factors that make some people more vulnerable.

Immune System

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredSystematic-Review

Systematic reviews of TCM trials: how does inclusion of Chinese trials affect outcome?

Adams, Denise, Wu, Taixiang, Yasui, Yutaka et al.·Journal of evidence-based medicine·2012

This study looked at whether including research studies published in Chinese would change what we know about treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and infectious mononucleosis with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Researchers searched both English and Chinese databases for high-quality studies. While searching Chinese databases found many more studies than English databases, most of these studies had serious design problems and couldn't be used to draw reliable conclusions.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredMeta-Analysis

Meta-analysis and meta-regression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in functional somatic disorders.

Tak, Lineke M, Cleare, Anthony J, Ormel, Johan et al.·Biological psychology·2011

This research reviewed 85 studies examining whether people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients do have lower cortisol levels compared to healthy people, though the difference was modest. Being female also predicted lower cortisol, particularly in fibromyalgia patients.

Endocrine Disruption

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearSystematic-Review

Complementary and alternative medicine for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review.

Alraek, Terje, Lee, Myeong Soo, Choi, Tae-Young et al.·BMC complementary and alternative medicine·2011

This review looked at 26 high-quality studies testing whether complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) help ME/CFS symptoms. Researchers found that some treatments like massage, tuina, and qigong showed promise, while others like homeopathy and distant healing did not work better than placebo. Most supplements tested didn't help, except for NADH and magnesium, though the evidence overall was limited.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

An intriguing and hitherto unexplained co-occurrence: Depression and chronic fatigue syndrome are manifestations of shared inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative (IO&NS) pathways.

Maes, Michael·Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry·2011

Depression and ME/CFS often occur together, and this study suggests they share common biological root causes involving inflammation and oxidative stress (damage to cells). While depression and ME/CFS look different clinically, they appear to involve similar underlying problems with the immune system, energy production, and antioxidant defenses. The authors argue these should be considered connected disorders rather than two separate conditions that happen to co-occur.

Immune SystemNeuroinflammation

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredMeta-Analysis

Behavior problems in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: a meta-analysis.

Pinquart, Martin, Shen, Yuhui·Journal of pediatric psychology·2011

A meta-analysis of 569 studies found that children and adolescents with chronic physical illnesses reported higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems compared to healthy peers. The strongest associations with emotional problems were observed in children with chronic fatigue syndrome. However, these findings come from combining many different studies with varying methods, and the strength of the associations differed depending on who reported the problems (parents, teachers, or the young people themselves).

Cognitive Impairment

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredMeta-Analysis

Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: an updated meta-analysis.

Pinquart, Martin, Shen, Yuhui·Journal of pediatric psychology·2011

This meta-analysis combined results from 340 studies to examine whether children and teenagers with chronic physical illnesses experience higher levels of depressive symptoms than healthy peers. On average, young people with chronic illnesses showed elevated depressive symptoms compared to controls, with the strongest associations observed in conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and migraine. However, the overall effect size was modest, and results varied depending on study design and population characteristics.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Sleep, pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Landis, Carol A·Handbook of clinical neurology·2011

This review examined the connections between sleep problems, pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The author looked at existing research to understand how poor sleep and pain symptoms often occur together in these conditions and how they may be related to each other.

SleepPain and Sensitization

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredSystematic-Review

Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Reid, Steven, Chalder, Trudie, Cleare, Anthony et al.·BMJ clinical evidence·2011

This review looked at treatments for ME/CFS by examining 46 high-quality studies published up to March 2010. The researchers assessed which treatments—including antidepressants, exercise therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and supplements—actually work and are safe. The review shows that ME/CFS affects less than 3% of people, with more women than men experiencing the condition.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM not requiredSystematic-Review

Somatization in Latin America: a review of the classification of somatoform disorders, functional syndromes and medically unexplained symptoms.

Tófoli, Luís Fernando, Andrade, Laura Helena, Fortes, Sandra·Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999)·2011

This review examined how people in Latin America report physical symptoms that doctors cannot explain with standard medical tests. The researchers looked at over 100 studies published between 1995 and 2011 to understand whether Latin American patients truly have more unexplained symptoms, or whether cultural and language differences affect how symptoms are described and understood.

E0 ConsensusReviewPEM unclearObservational

Treating chronic fatigue syndrome - a study into the scientific evidence for pharmacological treatments.

Kreijkamp-Kaspers, Sanne, Brenu, Ekua Weba, Marshall, Sonya et al.·Australian family physician·2011

This study looked at what medicines and supplements 94 people with ME/CFS were taking and checked what scientific evidence supported their use. The patients were using hundreds of different treatments, with antidepressants, pain relievers, sleep aids, and B vitamins being the most common. However, when researchers searched for rigorous studies proving these treatments work for ME/CFS, they found very limited evidence—only 20 good-quality trials existed for the medicines patients were using.

Interventions

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Evidence browser

In the mind or in the brain? Scientific evidence for central sensitisation in chronic fatigue syndrome.

How to exercise people with chronic fatigue syndrome: evidence-based practice guidelines.

The prevalence of fibromyalgia in other chronic pain conditions.

Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

A review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Biomarkers for chronic fatigue.

Quality and acceptability of patient-reported outcome measures used in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): a systematic review.

Dysfunctional syndromes and fibromyalgia: a 2012 critical digest.

[Neuro-endocrine correlates of burnout].

Overlap between functional GI disorders and other functional syndromes: what are the underlying mechanisms?

Systematic reviews of TCM trials: how does inclusion of Chinese trials affect outcome?

Meta-analysis and meta-regression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in functional somatic disorders.

Complementary and alternative medicine for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review.

An intriguing and hitherto unexplained co-occurrence: Depression and chronic fatigue syndrome are manifestations of shared inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative (IO&NS) pathways.

Behavior problems in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: a meta-analysis.

Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: an updated meta-analysis.

Sleep, pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Somatization in Latin America: a review of the classification of somatoform disorders, functional syndromes and medically unexplained symptoms.

Treating chronic fatigue syndrome - a study into the scientific evidence for pharmacological treatments.

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