SynthesisJournal of translational medicine2020
Systematic review of randomized controlled trials for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
Synthesis in Journal of translational medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT05967494 (Assessing Patient Engagement and Understanding in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinical Trials), which is not on this map. Cited by 47 papers, 9 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.
Assessing Patient Engagement and Understanding in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinical Trials
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Potential application of brain-gut axis-based treatments in Long COVID and ME/CFS: a case-based systematic review.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Domain-specific effects of NADFrontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome in adults - a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions for the management of long covid (post-covid condition): living systematic review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Pooled it
- Fatigue in Persons With Heart Failure: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Synthesis Using the Biopsychosocial Model of Health.Journal of cardiac failure · 2022Pooled it
- The evidence base for physiotherapy in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome when considering post-exertional malaise: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.Journal of translational medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Associations Between Psychological and Immunological Variables in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Patients' experiences and effects of non-pharmacological treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome - a scoping mixed methods review.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2020Pooled it
- Acupressure and Qigong in post-infectious fatigue with impaired physical function: a randomized clinical trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Trial
- A randomized open-label clinical trial on the effect of Amantadine on post Covid 19 fatigue.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnostic reporting in the 2021-2023 National Health Interview Survey.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Identification of novel reproducible combinatorial genetic risk factors for myalgic encephalomyelitis in the DecodeME patient cohort and commonalities with long COVID.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Neurovascular and synaptic milieu of brain-resident cells in cognitive dysfunction of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Postexertional Symptom Exacerbation after Submaximal Exercise in Individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Postacute Sequelae of COVID-19.Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 2026Article
- Use and Perceived Helpfulness of Different Intervention Strategies in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Depression.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- The Clinical Relevance of Mast Cell Activation in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effect of Cervical Manual Therapy on Sleep Quality: A Scoping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Cognitive Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Aetiology and Potential Treatments.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Assessment of symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a comparative study of existing scales.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough medical requirements are urgent, no effective intervention has been proven for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). To facilitate the development of new therapeutics, we systematically reviewed the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for CFS/ME to date.
methodsRCTs targeting CFS/ME were surveyed using two electronic databases, PubMed and the Cochrane library, through April 2019. We included only RCTs that targeted fatigue-related symptoms, and we analyzed the data in terms of the characteristics of the participants, case definitions, primary measurements, and interventions with overall outcomes.
resultsAmong 513 potentially relevant articles, 55 RCTs met our inclusion criteria; these included 25 RCTs of 22 different pharmacological interventions, 28 RCTs of 18 non-pharmacological interventions and 2 RCTs of combined interventions. These studies accounted for a total of 6316 participants (1568 males and 4748 females, 5859 adults and 457 adolescents). CDC 1994 (Fukuda) criteria were mostly used for case definitions (42 RCTs, 76.4%), and the primary measurement tools included the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS, 36.4%) and the 36-item Short Form health survey (SF-36, 30.9%). Eight interventions showed statistical significance: 3 pharmacological (Staphypan Berna, Poly(I):poly(C
conclusionsThis systematic review integrates the comprehensive features of previous RCTs for CFS/ME and reflects on their limitations and perspectives in the process of developing new interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.