ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

5381–5400 of 6,188 studies

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gene expression correlates of unexplained fatigue.

Whistler, Toni, Taylor, Renee, Craddock, R Cameron et al.·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers examined blood samples from hundreds of people to find which genes are connected to fatigue in ME/CFS. They looked at over 20,000 genes and found that 839 of them showed a relationship with fatigue levels. Many of these genes are involved in energy production and metabolism in the body, though about half of the genes they found don't yet have clear functions identified.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Conceptual issues in undifferentiated somatoform disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome.

van Staden, Werdie C W·Current opinion in psychiatry·2006

This paper examines why it can be difficult to distinguish between two conditions that both cause severe tiredness: undifferentiated somatoform disorder (a condition where physical symptoms occur without clear medical causes) and ME/CFS. The author argues that a key difference may be how patients experience their fatigue—some describe it as purely physical rather than mental—and that this distinction has not been properly studied or recognized in ME/CFS research.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM not requiredEditorial

Psychomotor speed: possibly a new marker for overtraining syndrome.

Nederhof, Esther, Lemmink, Koen A P M, Visscher, Chris et al.·Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)·2006

This study proposes that measuring how quickly someone can respond to mental tasks (psychomotor speed) might help identify athletes who are overtraining before serious problems develop. The researchers noticed that overtraining syndrome shares some features with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression, both of which involve slowed mental processing, and suggest this slowness could be an early warning sign.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Illnesses you have to fight to get: facts as forces in uncertain, emergent illnesses.

Dumit, Joseph·Social science & medicine (1982)·2006

This study examines why ME/CFS and multiple chemical sensitivity remain controversial and hard to get diagnosed. Researchers found that patients often struggle because doctors and institutions lack clear biological evidence for these illnesses, and they use scientific uncertainty as a reason to deny patients care and legitimacy. Patients have responded by documenting these exclusions and developing their own strategies to fight back.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome is accompanied by an IgM-related immune response directed against neopitopes formed by oxidative or nitrosative damage to lipids and proteins.

Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Leunis, Jean-Claude·Neuro endocrinology letters·2006

This study found that people with ME/CFS have higher levels of immune antibodies (IgM) attacking damaged fats and proteins in their bodies. These antibodies target substances created when cells are damaged by oxidative stress—a harmful process where the body's natural defenses become imbalanced. The more severe someone's ME/CFS symptoms were, the higher their antibody levels tended to be.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredObservational

Causes of death among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jason, Leonard A, Corradi, Karina, Gress, Sara et al.·Health care for women international·2006

This study looked at 166 people with ME/CFS who had passed away to understand what caused their deaths. The researchers found that heart failure, suicide, and cancer were the three leading causes, together accounting for nearly 60% of deaths. Notably, people with ME/CFS who died from cancer or suicide were much younger—in their late 30s to mid-40s—compared to people in the general population who died from these same causes.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The debate: myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Shepherd, Charles·British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)·2006

This article discusses the ongoing disagreement among doctors and researchers about ME/CFS, including what causes it and how to treat it. The author explains that while we still don't fully understand what causes the illness, we are learning more about the factors that may trigger or worsen it. Good news: doctors now have treatments available that can help reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for patients, rather than simply accepting the illness as untreatable.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gene expression profile of empirically delineated classes of unexplained chronic fatigue.

Carmel, Liran, Efroni, Sol, White, Peter D et al.·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers examined genes in blood samples from 111 women with unexplained chronic fatigue to see if different types of fatigue had different gene patterns. They used computer analysis to identify specific genes that were active or inactive in different fatigue groups. They found that certain genes were consistently different between fatigued and healthy people, while other genes only differed in specific fatigue subgroups.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Evaluation of a Community Based Management Programme for Adolescents and their Families.

Ashby, Bernadette, Wright, Barry, Jordan, Jo·Child and adolescent mental health·2006

This study looked at how a community-based treatment program helped young people with ME/CFS and their families. Researchers interviewed teenagers and parents about their experience with an approach that combined physical rehabilitation with attention to both body and mind. The families reported improvements across the key areas addressed, and most valued this collaborative treatment method.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

CFSUM1 and CFSUM2 in urine from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are methodological artefacts.

Chalmers, Ronald A, Jones, Mark G, Goodwin, C Stewart et al.·Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry·2006

An earlier study claimed to find two special markers in the urine of ME/CFS patients that could help diagnose the condition. This study re-examined those findings and discovered that these supposed markers were actually just artifacts—unintended byproducts created by the way the urine samples were prepared in the lab, not real biological differences between patients and healthy people.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The validity of an empirical delineation of heterogeneity in chronic unexplained fatigue.

Aslakson, Eric, Vollmer-Conna, Uté, White, Peter D·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers used statistical methods to identify distinct groups among people with chronic unexplained fatigue, including those with ME/CFS. They tested whether these groups were real and consistent by running their analysis multiple ways. They found that the groups they identified were valid and matched well with established ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, suggesting that ME/CFS is not one single condition but rather several related conditions with potentially different underlying causes.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Brief and distinct empirical sleepiness and fatigue scales.

Bailes, Sally, Libman, Eva, Baltzan, Marc et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2006

Doctors and patients often use the words 'sleepiness' and 'fatigue' interchangeably, but they actually describe different experiences. This study created two short, separate questionnaires—one to measure sleepiness (the urge to sleep) and one to measure fatigue (overall exhaustion)—by pulling items from existing popular fatigue and sleepiness scales. Testing these new scales on people with ME/CFS, narcolepsy, and healthy controls showed they measure distinct conditions that may respond to different treatments.

SleepDiagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Antidepressant-like activity of a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine, Koso-san (Xiang-Su-San), and its mode of action via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Ito, N, Nagai, T, Yabe, T et al.·Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology·2006

This study tested whether Koso-san, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, could help reduce depression-like symptoms in mice exposed to stress. Mice given Koso-san showed improved behavior in stress tests, and the herb appeared to normalize stress hormone systems in their brains that were overactive due to the stress exposure.

Endocrine Disruption

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Brain cytokines and the 5-HT system during poly I:C-induced fatigue.

Katafuchi, Toshihiko, Kondo, Tetsuya, Take, Sachiko et al.·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2006

This study investigated how the brain's immune system might cause fatigue by looking at what happens when rats are exposed to a viral-like trigger. Researchers found that certain immune molecules in the brain (interferons) increased while a key fatigue-related brain chemical (serotonin) decreased. When they gave the rats a medication that boosted serotonin activity, the fatigue improved, suggesting that low serotonin in a specific brain region may play a role in fatigue.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

[The problem of fatigue in neurological disorders].

Kumor, Klaudiusz, Pierzchała, Krystyna·Wiadomosci lekarskie (Warsaw, Poland : 1960)·2006

Fatigue is an extremely common and often severely disabling symptom in many neurological disorders, affecting 40–90% of patients with conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. This review explains that fatigue is a real medical symptom that should be carefully distinguished from depression, weakness, and sleepiness, though these conditions often occur together. Currently, doctors assess fatigue mainly through patient questionnaires, and there is no clear biological test or proven cure—treatments focus on addressing the underlying disease and using behavioral and psychological approaches.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Therapeutic and preventive interventions for postulated vasoactive neuropeptide autoimmune fatigue-related disorders.

Staines, Donald R·Medical hypotheses·2005

This article explores a theory that ME/CFS and related conditions like fibromyalgia might be caused by problems with special chemical messengers in the body called vasoactive neuropeptides. These chemicals normally help control blood vessels, inflammation, and immune function. The authors suggest that if this theory is correct, several treatments might help—including replacing these chemicals, using certain medications, or modifying genes—though they emphasize this is still speculative and unproven.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM not requiredGuideline

[Report from the Health Council of the Netherlands on the chronic fatigue syndrome: moving away from the body-mind dichotomy with a view to effective prevention and treatment].

Bolk, J H·Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde·2005

This Dutch Health Council report recognizes ME/CFS as a real, serious illness that genuinely affects people's lives, even though doctors cannot find obvious physical signs or blood tests to confirm it. The report suggests that stress and the gap between what the body can handle and what people try to do play important roles in the condition. It recommends moving away from the idea that ME/CFS is purely 'in your head' or purely physical, and instead seeing it as involving both body and mind together.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[Diagnosing asthenia and chronic fatigue syndrome].

Aslangul, Elisabeth, Le Jeunne, Claire·La Revue du praticien·2005

This article discusses how doctors can distinguish between general tiredness (asthenia) and ME/CFS, which is a serious long-term illness characterized by severe fatigue that doesn't improve with rest. The authors review the clinical features and diagnostic approaches that help healthcare providers identify ME/CFS in their patients. Understanding these differences is important so patients receive appropriate diagnosis and care.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

[Significance of the chronic fatigue syndrome in rehabilitation medicine--status and perspectives].

Gutenbrunner, C, Linden, M, Gerdes, N et al.·Die Rehabilitation·2005

This paper discusses how chronic fatigue and exhaustion affect people undergoing rehabilitation for various medical conditions. The authors reviewed how fatigue is defined, how often it occurs in different patient groups (from 50-90% depending on the condition), and whether rehabilitation can help improve it. They suggest that fatigue symptoms do improve somewhat with rehabilitation, though some symptoms can remain.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Cytokine production and modulation: comparison of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and normal controls.

Tomoda, Akemi, Joudoi, Takako, Rabab, El-Mezayen et al.·Psychiatry research·2005

This study examined immune system chemicals called cytokines in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy volunteers. Researchers took blood cells from both groups and stimulated them in the laboratory to see how they would respond. They found that ME/CFS patients produced lower levels of certain immune chemicals, particularly one called TGF-beta1, which might play a role in the inflammation seen in ME/CFS.

Immune System

← Previous Next 20 studies →

Or browse by topic

PEM Immune Neuro Metabolic Biomarkers Severe ME Long COVID Cognitive

Evidence Atlas

Evidence browser

Gene expression correlates of unexplained fatigue.

Conceptual issues in undifferentiated somatoform disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Psychomotor speed: possibly a new marker for overtraining syndrome.

Illnesses you have to fight to get: facts as forces in uncertain, emergent illnesses.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is accompanied by an IgM-related immune response directed against neopitopes formed by oxidative or nitrosative damage to lipids and proteins.

Causes of death among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

The debate: myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Gene expression profile of empirically delineated classes of unexplained chronic fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Evaluation of a Community Based Management Programme for Adolescents and their Families.

CFSUM1 and CFSUM2 in urine from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are methodological artefacts.

The validity of an empirical delineation of heterogeneity in chronic unexplained fatigue.

Brief and distinct empirical sleepiness and fatigue scales.

Antidepressant-like activity of a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine, Koso-san (Xiang-Su-San), and its mode of action via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Brain cytokines and the 5-HT system during poly I:C-induced fatigue.

[The problem of fatigue in neurological disorders].

Therapeutic and preventive interventions for postulated vasoactive neuropeptide autoimmune fatigue-related disorders.

[Report from the Health Council of the Netherlands on the chronic fatigue syndrome: moving away from the body-mind dichotomy with a view to effective prevention and treatment].

[Diagnosing asthenia and chronic fatigue syndrome].

[Significance of the chronic fatigue syndrome in rehabilitation medicine--status and perspectives].

Cytokine production and modulation: comparison of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and normal controls.

Curated Collections

Neuroinflammation Evidence

Metabolism & Mitochondria

Biomarkers

PEM-Specific Research