Search and filter 6,188 studies by evidence level, diagnostic criteria, PEM status, and research domain. Each entry links to the original source.
Studies sorted by evidence level, then year. Browse by topic instead →
Evidence level (E0–E3) reflects study type and replication, not methodological quality. A weak systematic review still sits at E0. How evidence levels work →
5561–5580 of 6,188 studies
Katz, Ben Z·Pediatric annals·2002
This editorial discusses the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), particularly in children and teenagers. The author reviews what is known about EBV's role in ME/CFS and updates the medical community on current understanding of this connection.
Shephard, Roy J·Critical reviews in immunology·2002
When people exercise, their muscles release a protein called IL-6 that helps control inflammation and manage energy. This review examines how the body produces different types of inflammatory signals during and after exercise, with IL-6 playing a central role. The authors note that people with ME/CFS have higher levels of these inflammatory proteins, though it's unclear whether these proteins actually cause the fatigue experienced by patients.
Silver, A, Haeney, M, Vijayadurai, P et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2002
This study looked at whether fear of movement and activity contributes to people with ME/CFS avoiding exercise. Researchers created a questionnaire to measure this fear and asked patients to ride an exercise bike as long as they could. They found that people's beliefs about whether activity was dangerous predicted how much they exercised, even when other factors like tiredness and heart rate did not.
Hoffman, Ronald·Seminars in oncology·2002
This article discusses how doctors should measure quality of life in patients with two rare blood disorders (essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera). The author explains that while treatments can control blood cell production and prevent some serious complications, they often cause side effects. The article suggests that doctors should use quality-of-life questionnaires to better understand whether treatments are truly helping patients feel better overall.
Nash, John, Cheng, Joseph S, Meyer, Glenn A et al.·WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin·2002
Chiari Type I malformation is a condition where brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, potentially causing compression and various neurological symptoms. This review explains how doctors diagnose it using MRI imaging and discusses treatment options. The authors note that Chiari I symptoms can overlap significantly with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, making diagnosis challenging, and they highlight controversy around whether surgery is appropriate for patients with these overlapping conditions.
Durlach, Jean, Pagès, Nicole, Bac, Pierre et al.·Magnesium research·2002
This paper proposes that magnesium deficiency may be linked to disrupted circadian rhythms (biological clocks) and could contribute to several conditions including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and sleep problems. The authors suggest that light therapy, dark therapy, and magnesium supplementation may help by affecting the body's internal clock and natural sleep hormone production.
Jackson, Elizabeth·Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)·2002
This is an overview article about ME/CFS that summarizes what is known about the condition. It covers the basic information about ME/CFS, including how it affects people and what challenges patients face. This type of review article helps bring together existing knowledge to give a comprehensive picture of the illness.
Miller, Robert G·American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation·2002
Fatigue in people with muscle and nerve diseases works differently than tiredness in healthy people, and scientists are now developing better tools to measure it. This paper reviews what we know about two types of fatigue: one that comes from the brain and nervous system (central fatigue) and one that comes from the muscles themselves (peripheral fatigue). The authors explain how these different types of fatigue affect people with conditions like ME/CFS, post-polio syndrome, and other neuromuscular diseases.
Asbring, Pia, Närvänen, Anna-Liisa·Qualitative health research·2002
This study interviewed 25 women with ME/CFS or fibromyalgia about their experiences with stigma—being doubted, judged, or not taken seriously. Women reported that stigma was most common before they received a diagnosis, and that having many different symptoms made it harder for others to believe they were truly ill. People sometimes questioned whether the illnesses were real or blamed them on emotional problems rather than physical causes.
Kipen, Howard M, Fiedler, Nancy·Environmental health perspectives·2002
This paper discusses how many patients experience symptoms that doctors cannot easily explain, and how these symptoms sometimes get organized into syndrome names like chronic fatigue syndrome. The authors note that these syndromes are defined only by how patients feel, not by medical tests, and that arguments continue about whether environmental factors cause them. They call for better research and clearer definitions to help both doctors and patients understand these conditions.
Friedberg, Fred·Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry·2002
This study looked at one patient with ME/CFS who received treatment aimed at gradually increasing physical activity. Surprisingly, while the patient reported doing more walking and felt much better overall, a step counter showed he was actually taking fewer steps per week by the end of treatment. The improvement seemed to come from doing activities that made him feel better emotionally, rather than from simply moving more.
Fisher, Martin, Krilov, Leonard R, Ovadia, Marc·International journal of adolescent medicine and health·2002
This study looked at four adolescent patients who had both an eating disorder and ME/CFS at the same time. In all four cases, the eating disorder appeared first, followed later by ME/CFS symptoms. The authors explored whether these two conditions might be related through common causes, whether an eating disorder could trigger ME/CFS, or whether they simply occurred together by chance.
Wilhelmsen, Ingvard·Scandinavian journal of psychology·2002
This study explores why people with conditions like ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and functional dyspepsia experience overlapping symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, and sleep problems. The researchers suggest these different conditions may share a common underlying process where the nervous system becomes overly sensitive to pain and discomfort signals, leading the body to experience and report multiple symptoms across different areas.
Craig, Timothy, Kakumanu, Sujani·American family physician·2002
ME/CFS is a serious condition marked by extreme tiredness that doesn't go away, along with muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and feeling worse after physical activity. Doctors diagnose it mainly by ruling out other illnesses, since there's no single blood test or physical sign that definitively confirms it. Treatment is personalized and may include exercise, sleep improvements, diet changes, and medications like antidepressants.
Allanson, J, Bass, C, Wade, D T·Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2002
This study looked at 25 patients with severe disability and neurological symptoms that doctors couldn't explain with standard tests. Most patients were in wheelchairs and very limited in daily activities, though they had been given different diagnoses—some psychiatric, some neurological. The researchers found that many of these patients had experienced trauma, had received psychiatric treatment, or had switched from self-harm to physical disability around the same time.
Panerai, Alberto E, Vecchiet, Jacopo, Panzeri, Paolo et al.·The Clinical journal of pain·2002
This study measured a natural pain-relieving substance called beta-endorphin in immune cells from people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, depression, and healthy controls. The researchers found that people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia had significantly lower levels of beta-endorphin than healthy people and those with depression. This suggests the immune systems of people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia may be working differently than in other conditions.
Hyland, Michael E·Journal of health psychology·2002
This paper proposes that the whole body—not just the brain—can learn and process information like a complex computer system. When this body-wide system malfunctions, it can create widespread health problems distributed throughout the body rather than in one location. The authors suggest ME/CFS is an example of this type of whole-body dysfunction and may require different treatment approaches than traditional medicine typically offers.
Linder, R, Dinser, R, Wagner, M et al.·In vivo (Athens, Greece)·2002
Researchers tested whether a computer program called an artificial neural network could help doctors better identify ME/CFS by looking at patient symptoms and comparing them to two other conditions that also cause fatigue: lupus and fibromyalgia. The computer program was very accurate—correctly identifying ME/CFS about 95% of the time—and worked better than traditional statistical methods for creating diagnostic rules.
Natelson, Benjamin H, Haghighi, Mohammad H, Ponzio, Nicholas M·Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology·2002
This review article examines whether people with ME/CFS have problems with their immune system. The researchers looked at evidence from multiple studies and found signs that the immune system may not be working normally in people with this condition. This helps explain why ME/CFS causes such severe fatigue and other symptoms.
Richardson, Amanda·Nursing times·2002
ME/CFS is a long-lasting illness that affects people differently, and doctors still don't fully understand what causes it or how to cure it. However, there are helpful ways to manage the symptoms, and the best treatment plans are created together with each individual patient. While no medicine has been specifically designed for ME/CFS, doctors can adapt treatments used for similar symptoms in other conditions to help reduce suffering.
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Thematic groupings by clinical question or research area.
PET imaging and other studies providing evidence for brain inflammation in ME/CFS.
NeurologyMetabolomics and mitochondrial function studies revealing energy metabolism disruption.
MetabolismStudies identifying potential biological markers for ME/CFS diagnosis and stratification.
Biomarker