Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25274261›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2014

Two age peaks in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a population-based registry study from Norway 2008-2012.

Inger Johanne Bakken, Kari Tveito, Nina Gunnes, Sara Ghaderi, Camilla Stoltenberg, Lill Trogstad, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Per Magnus

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03496961 (Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), which is not on this map. Cited by 103 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
103citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT03496961 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2018, after this paper: background citation

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

TypeinterventionalSponsorShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineRan2018 to 2021Enrolled135ConditionsChronic Fatigue SyndromesArmsYan Nian Jiu Zhuan Fa
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

103 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 176 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Centralized Pain Diagnoses in Older Adults With and Without Cancer.Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy · 2026
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Age-Related Changes in the Clinical Picture of Long COVID.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025
    Article

43 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Inger Johanne BakkenNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. inger.johanne.bakken@fhi.no.
Kari TveitoThe Norwegian Medical Association, Oslo, Norway. kari.tveito@legeforeningen.no.
Nina GunnesNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. nina.gunnes@fhi.no.
Sara GhaderiNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. sara.ghaderi@fhi.no.
Camilla StoltenbergNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. camilla.stoltenberg@fhi.no.
Lill TrogstadNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. lill.iren.trogstad@fhi.no.
Siri Eldevik HåbergNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. sirieldevik.haberg@fhi.no.
Per MagnusNorwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway. per.magnus@fhi.no.
Norwegian Institute of Public Health · NONorwegian Medical Association · NOUniversity of Bergen · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of the current study was to estimate sex- and age-specific incidence rates of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) using population-based registry data. CFS/ME is a debilitating condition with large impact on patients and their families. The etiology is unknown, and the distribution of the disease in the general population has not been well described.

methodsCases of CFS/ME were identified in the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) for the years 2008 to 2012. The NPR is nationwide and contains diagnoses assigned by specialist health care services (hospitals and outpatient clinics). We estimated sex- and age-specific incidence rates by dividing the number of new cases of CFS/ME in each category by the number of person years at risk. Incidence rate ratios were estimated by Poisson regression with sex, age categories, and year of diagnosis as covariates.

resultsA total of 5,809 patients were registered with CFS/ME during 2008 to 2012. The overall incidence rate was 25.8 per 100,000 person years (95% confidence interval (CI): 25.2 to 26.5). The female to male incidence rate ratio of CFS/ME was 3.2 (95% CI: 3.0 to 3.4). The incidence rate varied strongly with age for both sexes, with a first peak in the age group 10 to 19 years and a second peak in the age group 30 to 39 years.

conclusionsEarly etiological clues can sometimes be gained from examination of disease patterns. The strong female preponderance and the two age peaks suggest that sex- and age-specific factors may modulate the risk of CFS/ME.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAge FactorsFatigue Syndrome, ChronicFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedNorwayRegistriesResearch DesignSex Factors

Identifiers

PMID25274261
PMCPMC4189623
OpenAlexW2083763641

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.