ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

4801–4820 of 6,209 studies

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM requiredReview-Narrative

Review of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and management by clinicians.

Bested, Alison C, Marshall, Lynn M·Reviews on environmental health·2015

This review helps doctors understand ME/CFS better by explaining what it is, how to diagnose it, and how to treat it. ME/CFS is a serious illness that causes extreme tiredness, brain fog, pain, and sleep problems that get worse after physical activity. The review emphasizes that pacing activities—carefully balancing rest with gentle exercise—is one of the most important strategies patients can use to manage their symptoms and avoid crashes.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Evidence for sensitized fatigue pathways in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Staud, Roland, Mokthech, Meriem, Price, Donald D et al.·Pain·2015

This study tested whether ME/CFS patients have unusually sensitive "fatigue pathways" in their muscles and nerves that overreact to exercise. Researchers had patients and healthy controls do hand exercises, then briefly cut off blood flow to the forearm to trap muscle chemicals in the tissues. ME/CFS patients reported increased fatigue during the blood flow cutoff, while healthy people's fatigue actually decreased—suggesting their muscles and nerves are sending stronger fatigue signals.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Oral Colostrum Macrophage-activating Factor for Serious Infection and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Three Case Reports.

Inui, Toshio, Kubo, Kentaro, Kuchiike, Daisuke et al.·Anticancer research·2015

This study looked at whether a substance called macrophage-activating factor (MAF), derived from cow colostrum (first milk after birth), could help three patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and serious infections. The researchers found that patients who took oral MAF experienced improvements in fatigue and infection symptoms without serious side effects. While these are promising early observations, the study is very small and would need much larger testing to know if this treatment truly works.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Fluorescent nanodiamonds as a relevant tag for the assessment of alum adjuvant particle biodisposition.

Eidi, Housam, David, Marie-Odile, Crépeaux, Guillemette et al.·BMC medicine·2015

This study developed a new technology using tiny fluorescent diamonds to track where aluminum adjuvants (a component in vaccines) travel in the body and how long they stay there. Researchers found that these aluminum particles, which are used to boost immune response in vaccines, can move from the injection site to lymph nodes, the spleen, liver, and brain, where they accumulate over time. This tracking technology could help scientists better understand whether long-term exposure to these particles might cause health problems.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Assessing the Psychometric Properties of an Activity Pacing Questionnaire for Chronic Pain and Fatigue.

Antcliff, Deborah, Campbell, Malcolm, Woby, Steve et al.·Physical therapy·2015

This study tested a questionnaire designed to measure how well people with chronic fatigue and pain pace their activities—meaning how they balance rest and activity throughout the day. Researchers simplified the original 38-question survey down to 26 questions and identified five different ways people try to pace themselves: adjusting activities, keeping activities consistent, gradually increasing activities, planning activities, and accepting limitations. The questionnaire was found to be reliable and useful for measuring pacing strategies.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Mitoprotective dietary approaches for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Caloric restriction, fasting, and ketogenic diets.

Craig, Courtney·Medical hypotheses·2015

This study explores whether certain dietary approaches—like eating fewer calories, fasting, or following a ketogenic (low-carb, high-fat) diet—might help ME/CFS symptoms by protecting the mitochondria, which are the energy-producing parts of our cells. The authors review evidence suggesting that ME/CFS involves problems with mitochondrial function and immune activation that exhausts these cellular power plants. They propose that these three dietary strategies may help restore mitochondrial health and reduce symptoms, though they note that more research is needed to test this in actual ME/CFS patients.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

"United We Stand": Framing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in a Virtual Symbolic Community.

Lian, Olaug S, Nettleton, Sarah·Qualitative health research·2015

This study looked at how people with ME/CFS connect and support each other on Norwegian internet forums. Researchers analyzed discussions across 14 online communities to understand what brings these groups together and how they create shared meaning around their condition. The study found that these online communities help people with ME/CFS feel less alone and may influence how society views their illness.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

What matters to children with CFS/ME? A conceptual model as the first stage in developing a PROM.

Parslow, Roxanne, Patel, Aarti, Beasant, Lucy et al.·Archives of disease in childhood·2015

Researchers interviewed 25 children with ME/CFS to understand what matters most to them about their illness and lives. Children described four main areas that are affected: their symptoms (which change unpredictably), their ability to be physically active, their social life with friends and family, and their emotional well-being. The study found that support from both doctors and schools is really important in helping children manage their condition.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Effects of Time Frame on the Recall Reliability of CFS Symptoms.

Evans, Meredyth, Jason, Leonard A·Evaluation & the health professions·2015

This study looked at how accurately people with ME/CFS can remember and report their symptoms depending on how far back they think about (one week, one month, or six months). Researchers found that asking patients to recall symptoms from the past six months was most reliable for most symptoms, though joint pain was best recalled over one month. This matters because doctors need to know the best time frame to ask about when diagnosing ME/CFS.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Induction Murine Models of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Brucella abortus Antigen Injections: Is Anemia Induced or Not?

Moriya, Junji, He, Qiang, Uenishi, Hiroaki et al.·BioMed research international·2015

Researchers injected mice with bacterial antigens from Brucella abortus to create an animal model of ME/CFS. They found that at high doses, the injections caused temporary anemia (low red blood cells), but at moderate doses, anemia did not develop. Importantly, in both groups, the mice showed persistent low activity levels for weeks after treatment stopped, suggesting the injections could trigger lasting fatigue-like symptoms without necessarily causing anemia.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Are stamina and fatigue polar opposites? A case study.

So, Suzanna, Evans, Meredyth, Jason, Leonard A et al.·Journal of prevention & intervention in the community·2015

This study looked at whether fatigue and stamina are opposite sides of the same coin in ME/CFS. The researchers found that some people with ME/CFS have low fatigue but still cannot do much physically, while others have high fatigue that stops them from being active. This suggests that fatigue and stamina may be separate issues, and current diagnostic criteria that focus mainly on fatigue might miss people who have low energy and endurance but don't report severe fatigue.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

Reflections on the Institute of Medicine's systemic exertion intolerance disease.

Jason, Leonard A, Sunnquist, Madison, Brown, Abigail et al.·Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnetrznej·2015

The Institute of Medicine proposed renaming chronic fatigue syndrome to 'systemic exertion intolerance disease' (SEID) and created new diagnostic criteria. This editorial critiques that change, noting that most patients rejected the new name and the new criteria were not tested on actual patient populations before being recommended. The new criteria may incorrectly identify more people as having the disease while missing key features that define it.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Variability in Symptoms Complicates Utility of Case Definitions.

McManimen, Stephanie L, Jason, Leonard A, Williams, Yolonda J·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2015

This study looked at how ME/CFS is defined and diagnosed across different research centers. Researchers found that when different studies measure key symptoms like post-exertional malaise (feeling worse after activity), unrefreshing sleep, and brain fog, they get very different numbers—suggesting that either different patients are being studied, or researchers are asking questions in different ways. The study concluded that ME/CFS research needs more standardized, consistent methods for measuring symptoms so findings can be compared fairly.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Hybrid facial image feature extraction and recognition for non-invasive chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis.

Chen, Yunhua, Liu, Weijian, Zhang, Ling et al.·Computers in biology and medicine·2015

Researchers developed a computer program that analyzes facial features—such as forehead wrinkles, under-eye puffiness, skin color, and mouth shape—to help diagnose ME/CFS. The program was trained using photographs of Chinese patients and achieved about 88% accuracy in identifying who had the condition. This approach could potentially help doctors diagnose ME/CFS more objectively without needing blood tests or other invasive procedures.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

TMD and chronic pain: a current view.

Furquim, Bruno D'Aurea, Flamengui, Lívia Maria Sales Pinto, Conti, Paulo César Rodrigues·Dental press journal of orthodontics·2015

This review examines how temporomandibular disorders (jaw joint and muscle problems) develop and persist. The authors found that chronic muscle pain in the jaw works similarly to other widespread pain conditions like fibromyalgia and ME/CFS—through a process called central sensitization where the nervous system becomes overly sensitive to pain signals. They explain that genetics and nervous system function influence whether symptoms improve or worsen.

Autonomic Nervous System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredCase-Control

The Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Depression and Low Self-Esteem in the Context of Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME): A Case Study.

Loades, Maria·Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, Inc·2015

This study describes treating a 16-year-old girl with ME/CFS who also had depression and low self-esteem using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a talking treatment that helps change unhelpful thinking patterns. While the therapy successfully improved her mood and self-esteem, her ME/CFS symptoms got worse during treatment. This suggests that mood treatments for people with ME/CFS need to be carefully designed to avoid making fatigue symptoms worse.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Exercise, not to exercise, or how to exercise in patients with chronic pain? Applying science to practice.

Daenen, Liesbeth, Varkey, Emma, Kellmann, Michael et al.·The Clinical journal of pain·2015

This review examines how exercise affects people with chronic pain, including ME/CFS. While exercise helps many chronic pain conditions, some patients—especially those with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and chronic whiplash—experience worsening symptoms or 'crashes' after exercising. The authors emphasize that exercise programs need to be carefully tailored to each person, with proper recovery time built in, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Test-Retest Reliability of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire.

Jason, Leonard A, So, Suzanna, Brown, Abigail A et al.·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2015

Researchers tested whether the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ)—a tool designed to help doctors diagnose ME/CFS—gives consistent results when used multiple times. They asked 26 people with ME/CFS and 25 healthy people to answer the same questions at different times. The questionnaire proved reliable, meaning patients' answers were consistent, making it a trustworthy tool for identifying who has ME/CFS.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearObservational

B-Lymphocyte Depletion in Myalgic Encephalopathy/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study with Rituximab Maintenance Treatment.

Fluge, Øystein, Risa, Kristin, Lunde, Sigrid et al.·PloS one·2015

This study tested whether removing B-cells (immune cells) using a drug called rituximab could help ME/CFS patients. Twenty-nine patients received rituximab infusions over 15 months and were followed for 3 years. Eighteen patients (62%) showed lasting improvement in fatigue, with some staying better for over 2 years, though improvements took several months to appear.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Beyond Orthostatic Intolerance.

Garland, Emily M, Celedonio, Jorge E, Raj, Satish R·Current neurology and neuroscience reports·2015

This review explains postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition where your heart rate increases excessively when you stand up, often causing dizziness, fatigue, and other symptoms that improve when lying down. POTS can result from several different underlying problems—such as low blood volume, overactive stress nerves, or problems with small nerves in the legs—and may overlap with other conditions like ME/CFS. Treatment typically involves a combination of lifestyle changes, structured exercise, and sometimes medications.

Autonomic Nervous System

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Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Review of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and management by clinicians.

Evidence for sensitized fatigue pathways in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Oral Colostrum Macrophage-activating Factor for Serious Infection and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Three Case Reports.

Fluorescent nanodiamonds as a relevant tag for the assessment of alum adjuvant particle biodisposition.

Assessing the Psychometric Properties of an Activity Pacing Questionnaire for Chronic Pain and Fatigue.

Mitoprotective dietary approaches for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Caloric restriction, fasting, and ketogenic diets.

"United We Stand": Framing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in a Virtual Symbolic Community.

What matters to children with CFS/ME? A conceptual model as the first stage in developing a PROM.

Effects of Time Frame on the Recall Reliability of CFS Symptoms.

Induction Murine Models of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Brucella abortus Antigen Injections: Is Anemia Induced or Not?

Are stamina and fatigue polar opposites? A case study.

Reflections on the Institute of Medicine's systemic exertion intolerance disease.

Variability in Symptoms Complicates Utility of Case Definitions.

Hybrid facial image feature extraction and recognition for non-invasive chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis.

TMD and chronic pain: a current view.

The Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Depression and Low Self-Esteem in the Context of Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME): A Case Study.

Exercise, not to exercise, or how to exercise in patients with chronic pain? Applying science to practice.

Test-Retest Reliability of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire.

B-Lymphocyte Depletion in Myalgic Encephalopathy/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study with Rituximab Maintenance Treatment.

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Beyond Orthostatic Intolerance.

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