ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

481–500 of 729 studies

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredMethods-Paper

Measuring Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in ME/CFS Patients.

Walker, Max·Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2025

This study looked at whether certain molecules in the blood and immune cells could show signs of oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules called free radicals) in ME/CFS patients. The researchers tested two different markers before and after exercise: one test successfully measured protein damage, while another test designed to measure DNA damage was not sensitive enough to detect changes in this patient group.

BiomarkersPost-Exertional Malaise

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 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 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome as a complication of COVID-19 post-acute syndrome in adults. Bibliographic Review].

Carrillo Uguña, Miguel Esteban, Orellana Romero, Paula Michelle·Vertex (Buenos Aires, Argentina)·2024

This review examines how some COVID-19 survivors develop symptoms very similar to ME/CFS weeks or months after their acute infection ends. The authors found that over 87% of COVID-19 patients still experience at least one symptom two months after infection, and some of these symptoms match what ME/CFS patients experience. The study suggests that COVID-19 may trigger ME/CFS-like illness in some adults, similar to how other infections have been linked to ME/CFS in the past.

Long COVID OverlapPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Functional neurological disorder, physical activity and exercise: What we know and what we can learn from comorbid disorders.

Boylan, Kelly A, Dworetzky, Barbara A, Baslet, Gaston et al.·Epilepsy & behavior reports·2024

This review examines how exercise and physical activity might help people with functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition that causes neurological symptoms without a clear structural brain abnormality. The authors note that FND often occurs alongside other conditions like ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and POTS, and they suggest that problems with the autonomic nervous system (which controls automatic body functions) may underlie these conditions. By looking at research on exercise in related disorders, they explore how physical activity might help regulate the nervous system and reduce symptoms.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Long Covid.

Zaidi, Asiya Kamber, Dehgani-Mobaraki, Puya·Progress in molecular biology and translational science·2024

Long COVID is a condition where people experience ongoing symptoms weeks or months after having COVID-19. This review examines what might cause Long COVID, including lingering virus in the body, problems with the immune system, and issues with blood vessels and nerves. The authors discuss how doctors can recognize and treat Long COVID, emphasizing that patients often need care from multiple specialists working together.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

Case-Control Study of Individuals With Small Fiber Neuropathy After COVID-19.

McAlpine, Lindsay, Zubair, Adeel S, Joseph, Phillip et al.·Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation·2024

This study looked at 16 patients who developed nerve damage in their small nerves after COVID-19. The researchers found that 92% of these patients also had symptoms of ME/CFS, including post-exertional malaise (feeling much worse after activity). When 9 patients were treated with IVIG (an immune therapy), all of them improved significantly, while only 3 out of 7 untreated patients improved.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

A Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Feasibility and Clinical Correlation.

Kaur, Raminder, Greeley, Brian, Ciok, Alexander et al.·Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)·2024

Researchers used two advanced brain imaging techniques together to look for differences between people with ME/CFS and healthy people. The study found specific changes in brain chemistry and activity patterns in ME/CFS patients, particularly in areas related to thinking and fatigue control. The imaging was safe and didn't make patients immediately more fatigued, suggesting these techniques could be useful for studying ME/CFS in the future.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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 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 requiredMechanistic

Post-exertional malaise - A functional brain aberration?

Bruun Bratholm Wyller, Vegard·Brain, behavior, and immunity·2024

This study explores whether post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS where activity makes symptoms worse—might be caused by problems in how the brain functions. Researchers examined brain activity patterns in ME/CFS patients to understand what happens after exertion. The findings suggest that brain function abnormalities could play a role in why patients experience this debilitating symptom.

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 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 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Circulating microaggregates as biomarkers for the Post-COVID syndrome.

Hermann, M, Lisch, C, Gerth, R et al.·IDCases·2024

This study describes one patient with long COVID who experienced severe fatigue, worsening after exertion, pain, and neurological symptoms. Researchers used a special microscopy technique to examine the patient's blood and found tiny clumps of blood cells and proteins (microaggregates) that shouldn't normally be there. After the patient received blood-thinning medications and antiviral treatment, these clumps dissolved and their symptoms significantly improved.

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 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Pulmonary Rehabilitation for People With Persistent Symptoms After COVID-19.

Daynes, Enya, Mills, George, Hull, James H et al.·Chest·2024

This review examines whether pulmonary rehabilitation programs—treatments originally designed to help people with chronic lung diseases—might also help people with long COVID who experience breathlessness and fatigue. The authors suggest that because long COVID and chronic lung diseases cause similar problems with breathing and activity tolerance, rehabilitation programs that combine breathing exercises, strength training, and education could be beneficial for long COVID patients. However, they note that special care is needed for people whose symptoms worsen with exercise (postexertional malaise).

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

A Pilot Study on the Effects of Exercise Training on Cardiorespiratory Performance, Quality of Life, and Immunologic Variables in Long COVID.

Abbasi, Asghar, Gattoni, Chiara, Iacovino, Michelina et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2024

This study tested whether supervised aerobic exercise training could help people with long COVID. Fourteen participants completed 20 sessions of exercise training over 10 weeks. After training, people reported feeling less fatigued, less anxious and depressed, and had better heart and lung fitness—without experiencing harmful immune system changes.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Current update on the neurological manifestations of long COVID: more questions than answers.

Stefanou, Maria-Ioanna, Panagiotopoulos, Evangelos, Palaiodimou, Lina et al.·EXCLI journal·2024

This review examines the nerve and brain-related symptoms that can persist after COVID-19 infection, which doctors call long COVID. About one-third of COVID-19 survivors experience lasting neurological problems such as fatigue, brain fog, sleep issues, and problems with smell or taste that can last at least 12 months. The authors discuss what we currently know about why these symptoms happen and what treatments might help.

NeuroinflammationPost-Exertional Malaise

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 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

A Narrative Review on Gut Microbiome Disturbances and Microbial Preparations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for Long COVID.

Jurek, Joanna Michalina, Castro-Marrero, Jesus·Nutrients·2024

This review examines how changes in gut bacteria may contribute to ME/CFS and long COVID symptoms, and whether taking probiotics or similar microbial preparations might help. The authors looked at existing research to understand the connection between gut health and the brain-immune system, and whether restoring healthy gut bacteria could reduce fatigue, inflammation, and other symptoms in these conditions.

NeuroinflammationImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

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Measuring Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in ME/CFS Patients.

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

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.

[Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome as a complication of COVID-19 post-acute syndrome in adults. Bibliographic Review].

Functional neurological disorder, physical activity and exercise: What we know and what we can learn from comorbid disorders.

Long Covid.

Case-Control Study of Individuals With Small Fiber Neuropathy After COVID-19.

A Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Feasibility and Clinical Correlation.

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

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

Post-exertional malaise - A functional brain aberration?

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

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.

Circulating microaggregates as biomarkers for the Post-COVID syndrome.

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

Pulmonary Rehabilitation for People With Persistent Symptoms After COVID-19.

A Pilot Study on the Effects of Exercise Training on Cardiorespiratory Performance, Quality of Life, and Immunologic Variables in Long COVID.

Current update on the neurological manifestations of long COVID: more questions than answers.

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

A Narrative Review on Gut Microbiome Disturbances and Microbial Preparations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for Long COVID.

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