ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

521–540 of 742 studies

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredMethods-Paper

Development and measurement properties of the PEM/PESE activity questionnaire (PAQ).

Davenport, Todd E, Stevens, Staci R, Stevens, Jared et al.·Work (Reading, Mass.)·2023

This study created and tested a new questionnaire called the PAQ that helps measure how post-exertional malaise (PEM) affects a person's ability to do everyday activities. Patients chose three activities that were important to them and rated how much their performance had changed compared to their good days and before they got sick. The questionnaire was given to 675 people twice to make sure it reliably measured the same thing each time, and the results showed it works well.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations.

Davis, Hannah E, McCorkell, Lisa, Vogel, Julia Moore et al.·Nature reviews. Microbiology·2023

Long COVID is a serious illness affecting at least 10% of people who had COVID-19, with an estimated 65 million people worldwide experiencing it. The condition causes over 200 different symptoms affecting many body systems, similar to ME/CFS and other post-viral illnesses. This review examines what scientists have learned about Long COVID's causes and effects, though better diagnostic tests and treatments are still urgently needed.

Long COVID OverlapPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredObservational

Atopy and Elevation of IgE, IgG3, and IgG4 May Be Risk Factors for Post COVID-19 Condition in Children and Adolescents.

Körner, Robert Walter, Bansemir, Ole Yannick, Franke, Rosa et al.·Children (Basel, Switzerland)·2023

This study examined 28 children and teens who developed long-lasting symptoms after COVID-19 infection. The researchers found that most patients had allergies and unusually high levels of immune proteins called IgE, IgG3, and IgG4. About three in ten patients also met criteria for ME/CFS, experiencing severe fatigue, breathing problems, and post-exertional malaise (feeling worse after activity). Most patients gradually improved over about a year, though some took longer to recover.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Characteristics and Treatment of Exercise Intolerance in Patients With Long COVID.

Edward, Justin A, Peruri, Adithya, Rudofker, Eric et al.·Journal of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and prevention·2023

Long COVID causes severe fatigue and difficulty exercising, affecting 25-30% of people who had COVID-19. This review suggests that carefully designed exercise programs—tailored to avoid making symptoms worse—may help Long COVID patients recover better. The authors argue that much of Long COVID comes from the body becoming deconditioned (out of shape) from inactivity, and that gentle, personalized exercise can help reduce symptoms.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryPEM required

Case report: Rapid improvements of anorexia nervosa and probable myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome upon metreleptin treatment during two dosing episodes.

Hebebrand, Johannes, Antel, Jochen, von Piechowski, Linda et al.·Frontiers in psychiatry·2023

This case report describes a 17-year-old boy who had both anorexia nervosa (an eating disorder) and probable ME/CFS (a condition causing extreme fatigue and pain after exertion). He was treated with a medication called metreleptin for short periods. Notably, the treatment appeared to improve not only his eating disorder symptoms but also his ME/CFS symptoms like fatigue and post-exertional muscle pain. This raises the possibility that metreleptin might help people with ME/CFS, especially those who have also lost significant weight.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM requiredGuideline

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in Adolescents: Practical Guidance and Management Challenges.

Rowe, Katherine·Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics·2023

ME/CFS is a serious illness causing extreme tiredness that doesn't improve with rest, along with worsening after activity, brain fog, poor sleep, and sometimes dizziness and pain. This paper reviews what we know about treating ME/CFS in teenagers and young people, finding that currently there are no proven cure treatments, but symptom management and lifestyle adjustments help most. The study emphasizes that staying connected to school and having supportive doctors who listen made the biggest difference in how well young people managed their illness over time.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM requiredEditorial

Post-exertional malaise in daily life and experimental exercise models in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Vøllestad, Nina K, Mengshoel, Anne Marit·Frontiers in physiology·2023

This paper reviews how post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the worsening of symptoms after physical or mental activity—is experienced and studied in ME/CFS patients. Patients describe PEM in many different ways and report that it can start immediately or be delayed by days, lasting anywhere from a few days to months. When researchers use standardized exercise tests in laboratories, they see more immediate symptom worsening, but the duration still varies widely between patients.

Autonomic Nervous SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

[Post-COVID Rehabilitation].

Küst, Jutta, Disko, Andreas, Calendo, Luigi Riccardo et al.·Praxis·2023

This guideline explains how to help people recover from post-COVID illness, which can cause lasting fatigue and memory problems that make it hard to work or manage daily life. Since there is no cure yet, treatment focuses on rehabilitation that is tailored to each patient's symptoms and goals, with special attention to gradually rebuilding activity while watching for post-exertional malaise—a worsening of symptoms after physical or mental effort. The approach involves multiple healthcare professionals working together to adjust the workload based on how the patient is doing over time.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Potential molecular mechanisms of chronic fatigue in long haul COVID and other viral diseases.

Gottschalk, Carl Gunnar, Peterson, Daniel, Armstrong, Jan et al.·Infectious agents and cancer·2023

This review article examines how viral infections—including long COVID, EBV, and others—can trigger severe, lasting fatigue and related symptoms. The authors explore the biological mechanisms that might explain why some patients develop chronic muscle fatigue and brain fog after viral illness, and compare these processes to ME/CFS. This research suggests that multiple different viruses may cause fatigue through similar pathways in the body.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Stress-Induced Transcriptomic Changes in Females with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Reveal Disrupted Immune Signatures.

Van Booven, Derek J, Gamer, Jackson, Joseph, Andrew et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2023

This study looked at how the bodies of women with ME/CFS respond to exercise compared to healthy women. Researchers collected blood samples at three points: before exercise, during maximum effort, and during recovery. While healthy women's immune cells showed normal changes during exercise, women with ME/CFS showed unusual immune system activity specifically during the recovery period—the time when post-exertional malaise (worsening of symptoms) typically occurs.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredObservational

Urine Metabolomics Exposes Anomalous Recovery after Maximal Exertion in Female ME/CFS Patients.

Glass, Katherine A, Germain, Arnaud, Huang, Yuhsin V et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2023

Researchers tested urine samples from ME/CFS patients and healthy people before and after intense exercise. They found that healthy people's urine chemistry changed noticeably after exercise (showing normal recovery), but ME/CFS patients' urine chemistry barely changed. This suggests that ME/CFS patients' bodies may not be adapting properly to physical stress the way healthy bodies do.

Energy MetabolismPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM requiredPreprintPreprint

A Mixed Methods System for the Assessment of Post Exertional Malaise in Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Stussman, Barbara, Calco, Brice, Norato, Gina et al.·medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2023

This study looked at how to better measure post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the symptom flare-up that happens after activity in ME/CFS patients. Researchers asked 10 ME/CFS patients and 9 healthy people to do an exercise test, then tracked their symptoms over 72 hours using both rating scales and detailed interviews. They found that combining interviews with rating scales captured PEM patterns much better than rating scales alone, especially because rating scales sometimes hit their limits and couldn't show the full picture of symptom changes.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Long COVID: mechanisms, risk factors and recovery.

Astin, Rónan, Banerjee, Amitava, Baker, Mark R et al.·Experimental physiology·2023

This review examines Long COVID—a prolonged illness affecting some people after COVID-19 infection—and compares it to similar post-viral conditions like ME/CFS. Researchers found that Long COVID involves problems with the heart and lungs, muscle function, and how the body regulates its nervous system. The review discusses various treatment approaches being tested, including exercise programs, breathing exercises, and techniques to help calm an overactive nervous system.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredObservational

Clinical improvement of Long-COVID is associated with reduction in autoantibodies, lipids, and inflammation following therapeutic apheresis.

Achleitner, Martin, Steenblock, Charlotte, Dänhardt, Juliane et al.·Molecular psychiatry·2023

Researchers tested a treatment called therapeutic apheresis (a blood-cleaning procedure) in Long-COVID patients and found that those who improved had significant reductions in harmful immune molecules, fatty substances, and inflammatory markers in their blood. The study also showed that a blood protein called fibrinogen dropped by 70% after treatment, and abnormal blood clumping patterns disappeared. This suggests the treatment may work by removing specific harmful substances from the blood.

Immune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Post-COVID and ME/CFS - DoWe Need New Disease Theories?

Schauenburg, Henning·Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie·2023

This review examines how post-COVID illness and ME/CFS develop and persist, looking beyond just physical symptoms to understand how the brain perceives and responds to the body. The authors suggest that standard medical tests only partially explain chronic fatigue, and that a newer theory called 'Predictive Coding' may help us understand how the mind and body interact in these complex conditions. The goal is to develop better treatments while avoiding the harmful stigma of labeling these as 'just psychological' problems.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Altered Fatty Acid Oxidation in Lymphocyte Populations of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Maya, Jessica, Leddy, Sabrina M, Gottschalk, C Gunnar et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2023

Researchers studied immune cells called lymphocytes from ME/CFS patients and found that these cells use fatty acids (a type of fuel) differently than healthy people's immune cells do. When immune cells are activated or working hard, ME/CFS patients' cells rely more heavily on burning fat for energy compared to cells from healthy controls. This suggests that ME/CFS patients' immune systems may have a fundamental problem with how they fuel their cells.

Energy MetabolismImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Common Data Element item content analysis.

Slavin, Mary D, Bailey, Hannah M, Hickey, Emily J et al.·PloS one·2023

This study examined how well existing questionnaires measure the main symptoms of ME/CFS. Researchers looked at 38 different symptom-assessment tools and found they do a good job measuring physical symptoms like fatigue, sleep problems, and pain. However, most tools don't adequately measure how ME/CFS limits daily activities and participation in work, social life, and other important areas of life.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredObservational

Exercise-induced changes in gene expression do not mediate post exertional malaise in Gulf War illness.

Boruch, Alexander E, Lindheimer, Jacob B, Ninneman, Jacob V et al.·Brain, behavior, & immunity - health·2023

This study looked at whether post-exertional malaise (PEM)—the worsening of symptoms after physical activity—is caused by changes in gene activity in Gulf War illness patients. Veterans with Gulf War illness and healthy controls exercised on stationary bikes, and researchers measured gene expression in blood samples before and after exercise. While the study found that certain genes did change after exercise in Gulf War illness patients, these gene changes did not explain why their symptoms got worse.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Suppressed immune and metabolic responses to intestinal damage-associated microbial translocation in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Uhde, Melanie, Indart, Alyssa C, Green, Peter H R et al.·Brain, behavior, & immunity - health·2023

This study found that people with ME/CFS have a weakened immune response to bacteria that leak through a damaged gut lining, along with unusual changes in how their bodies process glucose and other nutrients. The immune system appears to be suppressed in some ways while overactive in others, and these patterns were linked to metabolic changes. These findings suggest that gut health and metabolic dysfunction may play important roles in ME/CFS symptoms.

Energy MetabolismImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM requiredGuideline

Cardiovascular Considerations in the Management of People With Suspected Long COVID.

Quinn, Kieran L, Lam, Grace Y, Walsh, Jillian F et al.·The Canadian journal of cardiology·2023

This review examines how doctors should evaluate and treat heart-related symptoms in people with long COVID. It highlights that about 15% of Canadians infected with COVID-19 develop persistent symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks, including fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, and irregular heartbeats. The authors emphasize that doctors need to consider conditions like ME/CFS, postexertional malaise (symptom flare-ups after activity), and dysautonomia (problems with the autonomic nervous system) when evaluating these patients.

Post-Exertional Malaise

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Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Development and measurement properties of the PEM/PESE activity questionnaire (PAQ).

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations.

Atopy and Elevation of IgE, IgG3, and IgG4 May Be Risk Factors for Post COVID-19 Condition in Children and Adolescents.

Characteristics and Treatment of Exercise Intolerance in Patients With Long COVID.

Case report: Rapid improvements of anorexia nervosa and probable myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome upon metreleptin treatment during two dosing episodes.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in Adolescents: Practical Guidance and Management Challenges.

Post-exertional malaise in daily life and experimental exercise models in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Post-COVID Rehabilitation].

Potential molecular mechanisms of chronic fatigue in long haul COVID and other viral diseases.

Stress-Induced Transcriptomic Changes in Females with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Reveal Disrupted Immune Signatures.

Urine Metabolomics Exposes Anomalous Recovery after Maximal Exertion in Female ME/CFS Patients.

A Mixed Methods System for the Assessment of Post Exertional Malaise in Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Long COVID: mechanisms, risk factors and recovery.

Clinical improvement of Long-COVID is associated with reduction in autoantibodies, lipids, and inflammation following therapeutic apheresis.

Post-COVID and ME/CFS - DoWe Need New Disease Theories?

Altered Fatty Acid Oxidation in Lymphocyte Populations of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Common Data Element item content analysis.

Exercise-induced changes in gene expression do not mediate post exertional malaise in Gulf War illness.

Suppressed immune and metabolic responses to intestinal damage-associated microbial translocation in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cardiovascular Considerations in the Management of People With Suspected Long COVID.

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