Factsheet: Literature from updates 2004

SOME FACTS ABOUT M.E./PVFS/CFS

 

1. Enteroviruses may play a role in a subset of patients with CFS.

Douche-Aourik, F., Berlier, W., Feasson, L., Bourlet, T., Harrath, R., Omar, S., Grattard, F., Denis, C and Pozzetto, B. Detection of enterovirus in human skeletal muscle from patients with chronic inflammatory muscle disease or fibromyalgia and healthy subjects. Journal of Medical Virology, 2003, 71, 540-547.

2 More evidence of the value of subgrouping:

a. identifying role of psychiatric illness:

Deluca, J., Christodoulou, C., Diamond, BJ., Rosenstein, ED., Kramer, N and Natelson, BH. Working memory deficits in chronic fatigue syndrome: differentiating between speed and accuracy of information processing. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 2004, 10, 1, 101-109.

b. identifying role of onset:

Whistler, T., Unger, ER., Nisenbaum, R and Vernon, SD. Integration of gene expression, clinical, and epidemiologic data to characterize chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Translational Medicine, 2003, 1:10. Epub Dec 01, 2003.

3. Evidence for the benefits of 'accommodating to the illness' (e.g. pacing) as opposed to ignoring fatigue and 'maintaining activity'.

De Ridder, D., Leseman, P and de Rijk, A. Predicting the short-term cause of fatigue symptoms: does adjustment of habitual coping strategies matter? British Journal of Health Psychology, 2004, 9, 67-80.

4. Clarification of the 1994 CDC criteria (though post exertional fatigue remains a minor criterion)

Reeves, WC., Lloyd, A., Vernon, SD., Klimas, N., Jason, L., Bleijenberg, G., Evengard, B., White, PD., Nisenbaum, R and Unger, ER. Identification of ambiguities in the 1994 chronic fatigue syndrome research case definition and recommendations for resolution. BMC Health Services Research, 2003 Dec 31 [Epub ahead of print].

5. Study showing the lack of specificity of the 1994 criteria.

Kennedy, G., Abbot, NC., Spence, V., Underwood, C and Belch, JJF. The specificity of the CDC-1994 criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome: comparison of health status in three groups of patients who fulfill the criteria. Annals of Epidemiology, 2004, 14, 2, 95-100.

6. Pacing is helpful as part of activity/rehabilitation programmes.

Wallman, K. E., Morton, A. R., Goodman, C., Grove, R. and Guilfoyle, A. M. Randomised controlled trial of graded exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome. Medical Journal of Australia, 2004, 180, 444-448. (Adults)

Viner, R., Gregorowski, A., Wine, C., Bladen, M., Fisher, D., Miller, M and El Neil, S. Outpatient rehabilitative treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME). Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 2004, 89, 7, 615-619. (Children and adolescents)

7. Further evidence of disease.

Kennedy, G., Spence, V., Underwood, C and Belch JJF. Increased neutrophil apoptosis in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Clinical Pathology, 2004, 57, 8, 891-893.

Lerner, AM., Beqaj, SH., Deeter, RG and Fitzgerald, JT. IgM serum antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus are uniquely present in a subset of patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome. In Vivo, 2004, 18, 2, 101-106.

Lerner, AM., Dworkin, HJ., Sayyed, T., Chang, CH., Fitzgerald, JT., Beqaj, S., Deeter, RG., Goldstein, J., Gottipolu, P and O'Neill, W. Prevalence of abnormal cardiac wall motion in the cardiomyopathy associated with incomplete multiplication of Epstein-Barr Virus and/or cytomegalovirus in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. In Vivo, 2004, 18, 4, 417-424.

Okada, T., Tanaka, M., Kuratsune, H., Watanabe, Y and Sadato, N. Mechanisms underlying fatigue: a voxel-based morphometric study of chronic fatigue syndrome. BMC Neurology, 2004, 4, 1, 14.

8. There are notable differences between patients selected using the 1988 CDC criteria, and those selected without the additional symptom criteria.

Stouten, B. Chronic fatigue syndrome: a clinical and laboratory study with a well-matched control group. Journal of Internal Medicine, 2004, 256, 265-267. 

9. A comparison between the Canadian criteria and the CDC case definition shows up notable differences.   The Canadian criteria appear to select a population which has similarities, though is not identical, to people with ME (Ramsay definition).

 

Copyright EM. Goudsmit February 2004. ©
Psychologist/Archivist, London.
All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced without
permission from the author. See the full copyright notice.

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