ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

461–480 of 729 studies

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

Mechanistic Insights Into Long Covid: Viral Persistence, Immune Dysregulation, and Multi-Organ Dysfunction.

Gupta, Gautam, Buonsenso, Danilo, Wood, John et al.·Comprehensive Physiology·2025

This review examines how Long Covid causes persistent symptoms affecting multiple body systems. The research suggests that SARS-CoV-2 virus may hide in body tissues, trigger ongoing immune problems, and damage how cells produce energy, which could explain fatigue and post-exertion crashes. These mechanisms appear similar to ME/CFS, suggesting the two conditions may share common biological pathways.

NeuroinflammationImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Heightened innate immunity may trigger chronic inflammation, fatigue and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS.

Che, Xiaoyu, Ranjan, Amit, Guo, Cheng et al.·npj metabolic health and disease·2025

This study examined blood samples and immune responses in ME/CFS patients to understand why they experience extreme fatigue and feeling worse after activity. Researchers found that patients' immune systems overreact to germs, their bodies have trouble producing energy efficiently, and they have several chemical imbalances in their blood. These problems got worse after exercise and matched how sick patients felt.

Energy MetabolismImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Cerebrospinal fluid metabolomics, lipidomics and serine pathway dysfunction in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndroome (ME/CFS).

Baraniuk, James N·Scientific reports·2025

Researchers studied brain fluid from ME/CFS patients to understand what goes wrong with how their brains use energy. They found that ME/CFS patients have abnormal levels of certain molecules involved in energy production and brain cell function, and these problems got worse after exercise. The study suggests that ME/CFS may involve problems with how the brain processes nutrients and maintains its protective coating around nerve fibers.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

mTORC1 syndrome (TorS): unifying paradigm for PASC, ME/CFS and PAIS.

Bar-Tana, Jacob·Journal of translational medicine·2025

This study proposes that ME/CFS, Long COVID, and similar post-infection illnesses may all be caused by the same underlying problem: excessive activity of a cellular control system called mTORC1. The authors suggest that if this overactive system is the shared driver of these conditions, it could explain why patients experience fatigue, worsening after exercise, pain, heart rate changes, and brain fog—and it might point toward new treatments.

Energy MetabolismPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

Tetrahydrobiopterin in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Friend or Foe?

Rahman, A F M Towheedur, Benko, Anna, Bulbule, Sarojini et al.·Biomolecules·2025

This review article examines a molecule called tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and its possible role in ME/CFS, particularly in patients who experience orthostatic intolerance (dizziness or fainting when standing up). The researchers found that BH4 metabolism—the way the body processes this molecule—is not working properly in ME/CFS patients with these symptoms. By understanding how BH4 goes wrong, scientists hope to explain why ME/CFS patients have problems with blood flow to the brain.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Creatine and post-viral fatigue syndrome: an update.

Ostojic, Sergej M, Candow, Daren G, Tarnopolsky, Mark A·Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition·2025

This review examines how creatine—a natural substance that helps muscles produce energy—might help people with post-viral fatigue syndrome (the prolonged exhaustion that can follow viral infections like COVID-19). The researchers found that people with this condition often have problems with how their body produces and uses energy, particularly in the mitochondria (the cell's power centers). They suggest that taking creatine supplements could help restore energy production and reduce symptoms like fatigue and brain fog.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryPEM required

Glymphatic System Dysregulation as a Key Contributor to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Nemat-Gorgani, Mohsen, Jensen, Michael Anthony, Davis, Ronald Wayne·International journal of molecular sciences·2025

Your brain has a cleaning system called the glymphatic system that removes toxic waste buildup, especially during sleep. This review suggests that this cleaning system may not be working properly in ME/CFS, which could explain symptoms like fatigue and brain fog. If the glymphatic system is involved in ME/CFS, new treatments designed to fix this cleaning process might help patients feel better.

SleepPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredPreprintPreprint

Dissecting the genetic complexity of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome via deep learning-powered genome analysis.

Zhang, Sai, Jahanbani, Fereshteh, Chander, Varuna et al.·medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025

Researchers used advanced artificial intelligence to analyze the genes of ME/CFS patients and discovered 115 genes that may contribute to the disease. They found that people with ME/CFS have lower levels of these risk genes active in their immune cells and nervous system. This genetic analysis could eventually help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more accurately and identify new treatment targets.

BiomarkersImmune SystemCognitive ImpairmentPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredObservational

Two-day cardiopulmonary exercise testing in long COVID post-exertional malaise diagnosis.

Gattoni, Chiara, Abbasi, Asghar, Ferguson, Carrie et al.·Respiratory physiology & neurobiology·2025

This study tested whether Long COVID patients experience a measurable drop in exercise capacity after 24 hours, which would suggest their bodies aren't recovering properly from exercise. Researchers had 15 Long COVID patients do exercise tests on two consecutive days and found no significant difference in performance between day 1 and day 2. Surprisingly, this was true even though 80% of patients reported post-exertional malaise (PEM) symptoms over the previous six months.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredPreprintPreprint

Heightened innate immunity may trigger chronic inflammation, fatigue and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS.

Che, Xiaoyu, Ranjan, Amit, Guo, Cheng et al.·medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025

This study found that people with ME/CFS may have an overactive immune system that responds too strongly to germs and infections. The research showed problems with how the body produces energy and manages inflammation, and these problems got worse after exercise in ME/CFS patients but not in healthy people. The findings suggest multiple biological systems are working abnormally in ME/CFS, which could help doctors develop better treatments.

Energy MetabolismImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

Advocating the role of trained immunity in the pathogenesis of ME/CFS: a mini review.

Humer, Bart, Dik, Willem A, Versnel, Marjan A·Frontiers in immunology·2025

This review explores how a single severe infection might trigger long-term changes in the immune system that could lead to ME/CFS. After infection, immune cells can become 'trained' to overreact to future triggers, potentially causing the chronic symptoms patients experience. The researchers suggest this overactive immune response might explain why about 60% of ME/CFS patients remember getting sick before their symptoms started.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

Perspectives of Rehabilitation Professionals on Long COVID Interventions to Facilitate Return-to-Work.

MacKinnon, Cassandra, Castro-Barquero, Cassandra, Kontis, Alexandra et al.·Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapie·2025

This study asked rehabilitation professionals in Quebec about their experiences helping people with long COVID return to work. The professionals emphasized that education, gradually increasing activity, and self-management are the most helpful approaches, but they noted that returning to work is very difficult without workplace accommodations and proper support for managing post-exertional malaise (when symptoms worsen after activity).

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Extracellular vesicle proteomics uncovers energy metabolism, complement system, and endoplasmic reticulum stress response dysregulation postexercise in males with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Glass, Katherine A, Giloteaux, Ludovic, Zhang, Sheng et al.·Clinical and translational medicine·2025

Researchers studied tiny particles called extracellular vesicles in the blood of ME/CFS patients before and after exercise. They found that in people with ME/CFS, these particles show signs of energy problems, immune overactivity, and cellular stress after exertion—changes that were linked to post-exertional malaise (the worsening of symptoms after activity). These findings suggest new targets for treatment that could help improve recovery and energy in ME/CFS.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis share similar pathophysiologic mechanisms of exercise limitation.

Jothi, Swathi, Insel, Michael, Claessen, Guido et al.·Physiological reports·2025

This study compared how bodies use oxygen during exercise in people with long COVID, ME/CFS, and healthy controls. Researchers found that both long COVID and ME/CFS patients had trouble getting oxygen into their muscles during exercise, which was the main reason they couldn't exercise as much as healthy people. If this muscle oxygen problem could be fixed, it might significantly improve exercise ability in both conditions.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Precision Medicine Study of Post-Exertional Malaise Epigenetic Changes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Patients During Exercise.

Sharma, Sayan, Hodges, Lynette D, Peppercorn, Katie et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2025

This study looked at how exercise affects the chemical switches on our genes (epigenetics) in ME/CFS patients, particularly during post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the exhaustion that worsens after physical activity. Researchers took blood samples from five ME/CFS patients before, immediately after, and 24-48 hours after an exercise test, and found distinct patterns of genetic changes that were specific to ME/CFS patients and not seen in healthy controls. These changes affected genes related to immune function, inflammation, and blood vessel health, suggesting the body's response to exercise in ME/CFS is fundamentally different at the molecular level.

BiomarkersImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Post-COVID-19 Vaccination (or Long Vax) Syndrome: Putative Manifestation, Pathophysiology, and Therapeutic Options.

Yong, Shin Jie, Kenny, Tiff-Annie, Halim, Alice et al.·Reviews in medical virology·2025

This review describes a condition called post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PCVS), where some people develop long-lasting symptoms similar to long COVID after receiving a vaccine. Symptoms typically start within days to weeks after vaccination and can last for months or years, including fatigue, brain fog, and nerve tingling. The study examines what might cause PCVS and discusses possible treatments, though researchers emphasize that much remains unknown about this condition.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Systems Modeling Reveals Shared Metabolic Dysregulation and Potential Treatments in ME/CFS and Long COVID.

Li, Gong-Hua, Han, Fei-Fei, Kalafatis, Efthymios et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2025

This study found that both ME/CFS and Long COVID may share similar problems with how muscles process certain amino acids (building blocks of proteins). Using computer modeling, researchers identified that two specific metabolic pathways are underactive in muscle tissue. They then tested whether adding supplements containing aspartate and a related compound could help restore normal muscle metabolism, and suggest a combination treatment called LOLA as a potential future therapy.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryPEM required

Managing Energy, and Shaping Care: Insights from Adults with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Through Co-Production Workshops.

Thornton, Eleanor J, Hayes, Lawrence D, Goodwin, Dawn S et al.·The American journal of medicine·2025

This study asked people with ME/CFS and healthcare providers what they think about managing energy and daily activities. The researchers held online workshops where patients shared their experiences and suggestions for better care. Participants stressed that doctors need better training about ME/CFS, patients should be involved in their own care planning, and new tools like apps and sleep management could help improve how people manage their energy.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredMethods-Paper

Repeated Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing of ME/CFS Patients.

Hodges, Lynette·Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2025

This study explains how doctors use a special exercise test done twice (24 hours apart) to measure how ME/CFS affects the body's ability to exercise. The test shows that people with ME/CFS often cannot exercise as hard the second time, and their bodies don't use oxygen or produce power the way healthy people do. This helps prove that ME/CFS causes real, measurable changes in how the body functions.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Jingfang Granule promotes the tricarboxylic acid cycle to improve chronic fatigue syndrome by increasing the expression of Idh1 and Idh2.

Wang, Kun, Shen, Mengmeng, Tang, Hongguang et al.·Journal of ethnopharmacology·2025

Researchers tested a traditional Chinese medicine called Jingfang Granule (JFG) in mice with chronic fatigue syndrome. The treatment improved fatigue symptoms, helped mice recover weight and exercise capacity, and reduced harmful inflammation and oxidative stress in their bodies. The medicine appeared to work by boosting how efficiently cells produce energy through a key metabolic pathway.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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Mechanistic Insights Into Long Covid: Viral Persistence, Immune Dysregulation, and Multi-Organ Dysfunction.

Heightened innate immunity may trigger chronic inflammation, fatigue and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS.

Cerebrospinal fluid metabolomics, lipidomics and serine pathway dysfunction in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndroome (ME/CFS).

mTORC1 syndrome (TorS): unifying paradigm for PASC, ME/CFS and PAIS.

Tetrahydrobiopterin in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Friend or Foe?

Creatine and post-viral fatigue syndrome: an update.

Glymphatic System Dysregulation as a Key Contributor to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Dissecting the genetic complexity of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome via deep learning-powered genome analysis.

Two-day cardiopulmonary exercise testing in long COVID post-exertional malaise diagnosis.

Heightened innate immunity may trigger chronic inflammation, fatigue and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS.

Advocating the role of trained immunity in the pathogenesis of ME/CFS: a mini review.

Perspectives of Rehabilitation Professionals on Long COVID Interventions to Facilitate Return-to-Work.

Extracellular vesicle proteomics uncovers energy metabolism, complement system, and endoplasmic reticulum stress response dysregulation postexercise in males with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis share similar pathophysiologic mechanisms of exercise limitation.

Precision Medicine Study of Post-Exertional Malaise Epigenetic Changes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Patients During Exercise.

Post-COVID-19 Vaccination (or Long Vax) Syndrome: Putative Manifestation, Pathophysiology, and Therapeutic Options.

Systems Modeling Reveals Shared Metabolic Dysregulation and Potential Treatments in ME/CFS and Long COVID.

Managing Energy, and Shaping Care: Insights from Adults with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Through Co-Production Workshops.

Repeated Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing of ME/CFS Patients.

Jingfang Granule promotes the tricarboxylic acid cycle to improve chronic fatigue syndrome by increasing the expression of Idh1 and Idh2.

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