Evidence browser

[Chronic fatigue syndrome: a syndrome in search of definition].

Sánchez Rodríguez, A, González Maroño, C, Sánchez Ledesma, M·Revista clinica espanola·2005

This review examines how ME/CFS is defined and understood in clinical practice. The authors discuss the challenges doctors face in recognizing and diagnosing this condition, since it affects different people in different ways. The study highlights why having clear, consistent definitions is essential for helping patients get proper care and advancing research.

Do vasoactive neuropeptides and heat shock proteins mediate fatigue-related autoimmune disorders?

Staines, Donald R·Medical hypotheses·2005

This paper proposes that ME/CFS and similar fatigue disorders may be caused by the immune system attacking special messenger molecules in the body called vasoactive neuropeptides. These molecules normally help control energy metabolism, nerve function, and immune responses. The authors suggest that when antibodies damage these molecules, it could explain the severe fatigue and other symptoms seen in ME/CFS.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredObservational

[Chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical hypersensitivity after insecticide exposure].

Fernández-Solà, Joaquim, Lluís Padierna, Meritxell, Nogué Xarau, Santiago et al.·Medicina clinica·2005

This study followed 26 people who developed ME/CFS after being exposed to insecticide sprays at their workplace. Most patients were women who first experienced airway inflammation and digestive problems, followed by brain fog, muscle pain, and fatigue. About one-third also developed chemical sensitivity. The researchers emphasize that proper ventilation and safety precautions during and after insecticide use are crucial to prevent these illnesses.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Why did I get chronic fatigue syndrome? A qualitative interview study of causal attributions in women patients.

Soderlund, Atle, Malterud, Kirsti·Scandinavian journal of primary health care·2005

This study asked eight women with ME/CFS about what they thought caused their illness. The women felt that stress, overwork without rest, emotional problems, and pressure to meet others' expectations may have made them more vulnerable to ME/CFS. Most believed a virus infection triggered their condition, and some thought women might catch viruses more easily or have weaker immune systems than men.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Drug targets in stress-related disorders.

Covelli, Vito, Passeri, Maria Elena, Leogrande, Domenica et al.·Current medicinal chemistry·2005

This review examines how stress affects both the nervous and immune systems, and explores potential drug treatments for stress-related disorders. The authors discuss how the body's stress response systems can trigger or worsen conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and suggest that medicines targeting immune cell activity and inflammatory chemicals may help. They found that CFS patients have different immune patterns compared to depressed patients, which could guide future treatment approaches.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with diminished intracellular perforin.

Maher, K J, Klimas, N G, Fletcher, M A·Clinical and experimental immunology·2005

This study found that people with ME/CFS have lower levels of a protein called perforin in their immune cells, particularly in natural killer cells. Perforin is a weapon that immune cells use to fight off infections and abnormal cells. The researchers suggest this deficiency might help explain why people with ME/CFS often have weakened immune function.

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 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Urinary electrophoretic profiles from chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia patients: a pilot study for achieving their normalization.

Casado, Begoña, Zanone, Chiara, Annovazzi, Laura et al.·Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences·2005

Researchers collected urine samples from people with ME/CFS, people with ME/CFS plus fibromyalgia, and healthy controls to look for chemical differences. Using a specialized lab technique called electrophoresis, they found that the urine samples from people with these conditions showed distinct patterns of chemicals compared to healthy people. These patterns might potentially be used as biological markers to help identify and understand these illnesses.

[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.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Magnesium depletion with hypo- or hyper- function of the biological clock may be involved in chronopathological forms of asthma.

Durlach, J, Pagès, N, Bac, P et al.·Magnesium research·2005

This paper proposes that low magnesium levels combined with disrupted biological clocks (your body's natural 24-hour rhythm) may contribute to asthma that gets worse at night. The authors suggest that magnesium depletion is different from simple magnesium deficiency—it involves a deeper dysregulation that cannot be fixed by supplements alone. They propose two subtypes based on whether the biological clock is overactive (linked to nighttime asthma) or underactive (linked to daytime symptoms).

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

A patient's journey with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Ong, Bie Nio, Evans, Daphne, Bartlam, Andrew·BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2005

This study tells the personal story of one patient's experience living with ME/CFS, documenting how the illness affected their daily life, symptoms, and journey seeking medical care. Through this individual's account, the researchers highlight the real challenges people with ME/CFS face in their everyday activities and interactions with healthcare providers. The patient's narrative shows how ME/CFS impacts not just physical health, but also emotional wellbeing and social relationships.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate size is critical to protect RNase L against proteolytic cleavage in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Frémont, Marc, El Bakkouri, Karim, Vaeyens, Freya et al.·Experimental and molecular pathology·2005

In ME/CFS, immune cells produce abnormal levels of proteins involved in fighting viral infections. This study found that a protective molecule called 2-5A can shield a key antiviral protein (RNase L) from being broken down by inflammatory enzymes. However, in ME/CFS patients, cells tend to produce smaller versions of 2-5A, which cannot provide this protection, leading to the accumulation of damaged RNase L protein.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Activities and Participation Questionnaire (CFS-APQ): an overview.

Nijs, Jo, Vaes, Peter, De Meirleir, Kenny·Occupational therapy international·2005

Researchers created a simple questionnaire called the CFS-APQ to measure how much ME/CFS affects a patient's ability to do daily activities. They tested this questionnaire on hundreds of patients and found it works reliably—meaning patients give consistent answers when asked the same questions again—and it accurately reflects how sick someone is.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Kaushik, N, Fear, D, Richards, S C M et al.·Journal of clinical pathology·2005

Researchers compared blood cells from 25 ME/CFS patients with 25 healthy people to see if genes were turned on or off differently. They found 16 genes with different activity levels in ME/CFS patients—most were overactive. These changes suggest problems with immune cell activation, nerve function, and how cells produce energy, which could help explain why ME/CFS causes fatigue and other symptoms.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearMethods-Paper

Symptom overlap and comorbidity of irritable bowel syndrome with other conditions.

Frissora, Christine L, Koch, Kenneth L·Current gastroenterology reports·2005

This review examined how irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) frequently occurs alongside other conditions, both in the digestive system and elsewhere in the body, including chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. The authors explored why these conditions often happen together and what they might have in common. Understanding these connections could help doctors better recognize and treat patients who experience multiple overlapping symptoms.

Development of a functional ability scale for children and young people with myalgic encephalopathy (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Moss, Jill·Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community·2005

Children and young people with ME/CFS often have difficulty explaining what activities they can or cannot do on any given day, making it hard for parents and doctors to understand their abilities. Researchers worked with 251 young people from a ME support organization to create a simple 0-100% scale that young people themselves helped design and test. The result was a practical tool that 99% of young people felt accurately measured their functional abilities.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

[Chronic fatigue syndrome: its importance in occupational medicine].

Wiszniewska, Marta, Walusiak, Jolanta, Wittczak, Tomasz et al.·Medycyna pracy·2005

This paper reviews what we know about ME/CFS, including what causes it, how it presents in patients, and how doctors can diagnose it. Since extreme tiredness appears in many different health conditions—both physical and mental—the authors explain how doctors can tell ME/CFS apart from other illnesses. The paper also covers treatment approaches and emphasizes why occupational health doctors need to understand ME/CFS to protect workers' health.

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Contesting stigma and contested emotions: personal experience and public perception of specific phobias.

Davidson, Joyce·Social science & medicine (1982)·2005

This study interviewed people with specific phobias (intense, irrational fears of particular objects or situations) in the UK to understand how stigma and disbelief affect their daily lives. Like ME/CFS patients, people with phobias face judgment and skepticism from doctors and the public, even though their symptoms are real and distressing. The research shows that people with phobias develop ways to cope with and manage others' dismissive attitudes toward their condition.