ArticleFatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior2014
Examining case definition criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Article in Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03675087 (Assessment of Exercise Response in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.), which is not on this map. Cited by 56 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Assessment of Exercise Response in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Autoimmunity's enigmatic role: exploring the connection with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.BMC immunology · 2024Pooled it
- The demographic features of fatigue in the general population worldwide: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Meta-analysis investigating post-exertional malaise between patients and controls.Journal of health psychologyPooled it
- Sex- and menopause-related differences in immune and gastrointestinal symptom architecture in ME/CFS: evidence from factor analysis and structural equation modeling.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Handgrip strength in children, adolescents, and young adults with suspected myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Australian registry reports poor health and wellbeing in people living with ME/CFS.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Chronic fatigue syndrome in nursing practice: a concept analysis.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- A Mindbody Approach to Long-standing Fatigue: A Case Report on Emotional Somatic Release Using HeartSpeak Lite for BodyWork.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2026Article
- An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- Single-cell analysis reveals immune remodeling of monocytes, NK cells, T cell exhaustion, and Galectin-9-associated depletion of gamma delta and mucosal-associated invariant T cells in Long COVID with ME/CFS.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Gut Microbiome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): Insights into Disease Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Uncovering the genetic architecture of ME/CFS: a precision approach reveals impact of rare monogenic variation.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- Recovery from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue syndrome developed after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination: A case report.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Article
- The Implications and Predictability of Sleep Reversal for People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Machine Learning Approach.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploring the role of galectin-9 and artemin as biomarkers in long COVID with chronic fatigue syndrome: links to inflammation and cognitive function.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Metabolomic and immune alterations in long COVID patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Surveying the Metabolic and Dysfunctional Profiles of T Cells and NK Cells in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Evaluating case diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): toward an empirical case definition.Disability and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Symptom-based clusters in people with ME/CFS: an illustration of clinical variety in a cross-sectional cohort.Journal of translational medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundConsiderable controversy has transpired regarding the core features of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Current case definitions differ in the number and types of symptoms required. This ambiguity impedes the search for biological markers and effective treatments. PURPOSE: This study sought to empirically operationalize symptom criteria and identify which symptoms best characterize the illness.
methodsPatients (
resultsA third of controls met the symptom criteria of a common CFS case definition when just symptom presence was required; however, when frequency/severity requirements were raised, only 5% met criteria. Employing these higher frequency/severity requirements, the CART algorithm identified three symptoms that accurately classified 95.4% of participants as patient or control: fatigue/extreme tiredness, inability to focus on multiple things simultaneously, and experiencing a dead/heavy feeling after starting to exercise.
conclusionsMinimum frequency/severity thresholds should be specified in symptom criteria to reduce the likelihood of misclassification. Future research should continue to seek empirical support of the core symptoms of ME and CFS to further progress the search for biological markers and treatments.
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Registered trials
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