ArticleFatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior2019
Myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome case definitions: effects of requiring a substantial reduction in functioning.
Article in Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Advancing Research and Treatment: An Overview of Clinical Trials in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Future Perspectives.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Activity measurement in pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome.Chronic illness · 2022Article
- Comparing Operationalized Approaches for Substantial Reduction of Functioning in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.Archives of community medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCurrent case definitions for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) require an individual to report a 'substantial reduction' in activity levels, when compared to premorbid functioning. However, little guidance is provided on how to measure these reductions, as well as what level of reduction should be deemed 'substantial,' leading to inconsistencies in how this criterion is applied across research settings. PURPOSE: The current study examined the influence of substantial reduction criterion on case definitions.
methodThe current study analyzed an international convenience sample of 1002 individuals with ME or CFS, 53 healthy controls, and 260 controls with other chronic illnesses.
resultsFindings indicated that the utility of the substantial reduction criterion varied by case definition, with more stringent case definitions not needing this criterion to identify cases.
conclusionThese results suggest that the requirement of a substantial reduction in functioning may be redundant when case definitions specify that individuals must endorse a set of core symptoms at specified frequency and severity levels.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.