Charlotte Stephens, Research Correspondent, ME Association.
We show below brief summaries of the research studies about ME/CFS that have been published in the last week, followed by the abstracts from those studies.
At the end of each month, we enter all the published research into the central Research Index which is freely available as a download.
This is an A-Z index of the most important published research studies and selected key documents and articles, listed by subject matter, on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
You can also find the Research Index in the Research section of the website together with a list of Research Summaries from the ME Association.
The Research Summaries provide lay explanations of the more important and interesting work that has been published to date.
ME/CFS Research Published 15th – 21st May 2020
This week, 4 new research studies have been published, highlights include:
- Australian researchers carried out a review of studies looking into metabolomic dysregulation in ME/CFS. They concluded that there is a lack of consistency with research design across the studies, resulting in little evidence for metabolomics to be clearly defined as a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of ME/CFS.
- Researchers from the UK ME/CFS Biobank conducted a review of the methodologies used in Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and Targeted genome association studies (TAGS) in ME/CFS. They concluded that the question of a genetic component in ME/CFS remains open for investigation and gave recommendations on how genome studies should be carried out.
ME/CFS Research References and Abstracts
1. Huth TK et al. (2020)
A systematic review of metabolomic dysregulation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (CFS/ME/SEID).
Journal of Translational Medicine 18: 198.
Abstract
Background: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (CFS/ME/SEID) is a complex illness that has an unknown aetiology.
It has been proposed that metabolomics may contribute to the illness pathogenesis of CFS/ME/SEID. In metabolomics, the systematic identification of measurable changes in small molecule metabolite products have been identified in cases of both monogenic and heterogenic diseases.
Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to evaluate if there is any evidence of metabolomics contributing to the pathogenesis of CFS/ME/SEID.
Methods: PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOHost (Medline) and EMBASE were searched using medical subject headings terms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, metabolomics and metabolome to source papers published from 1994 to 2020. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to identify studies reporting on metabolites measured in blood and urine samples from CFS/ME/SEID patients compared with healthy controls. The Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist was used to complete a quality assessment for all the studies included in this review.
Results: 11 observational case control studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The primary outcome of metabolite measurement in blood samples of CFS/ME/SEID patients was reported in ten studies. The secondary outcome of urine metabolites was measured in three of the included studies.
No studies were excluded from this review based on a low-quality assessment score, however there was inconsistency in the scientific research design of the included studies.
Metabolites associated with the amino acid pathway were the most commonly impaired with significant results in seven out of the 10 studies. However, no specific metabolite was consistently impaired across all of the studies. Urine metabolite results were also inconsistent.
Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review reports that a lack of consistency with scientific research design provides little evidence for metabolomics to be clearly defined as a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of CFS/ME/SEID.
Further research using the same CFS/ME/SEID diagnostic criteria, metabolite analysis method and control of the confounding factors that influence metabolite levels are required.
2. Mengshoel AM et al.(2020)
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 Wellbeing 15 (01).
Abstract
Purpose: The EU COST Action 15111 collaboration on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) aims to assess current research and identify knowledge gaps in Europe.
Presently, our purpose is to map the effects of non-pharmacological therapies (NPTs) for ME/CFS, and what patients find important in the treatment process.
Methods: A scoping mixed methods literature review of European studies identified 16 papers fulfiling our inclusion criteria. The quantitative and qualitative studies were synthesized separately in tables. Additionally, extracts from the qualitative studies were subjected to translational analysis.
Results: Effect studies addressed cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT, n = 4), multimodal rehabilitation (n = 2) and activity-pacing (n = 2). CBT reduced fatigue scores more than usual care or waiting list controls. The effects of rehabilitation and activity-pacing were inconsistent.
The contents, assessment methods and effects of rehabilitation and activity pacing studies varied. For patients, health professionals’ recognition of ME/CFS and support were crucial, but they expressed ambiguous experiences of what the NPTs entail.
Conclusions: Methodological differences make comparisons across NPTs impossible, and from a patient perspective the relevance of the specific contents of NPTs are unclear.
Future well-designed studies should focus on developing NPTs tailored to patients’ concerns and evaluation tools reflecting what is essential for patients.
3. O’Dowd H et al. (2020)
The feasibility and acceptability of an early intervention in primary care to prevent chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in adults: randomised controlled trial.
Pilot and Feasibility Studies 6.
Abstract
Background: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)) is defined as fatigue that is disabling, is accompanied by additional symptoms and persists for ≥ 4 months.
Treatment of CFS/ME aims to help patients manage their symptoms and make lifestyle adjustments. We do not know whether intervening early in primary care (< 4 months after onset of fatigue) can prevent the development of CFS/ME.
Methods: This was a feasibility randomised controlled trial with adults (age ≥ 18 years) comparing usual care with usual care plus an early intervention (EI; a combination of psycho-education and cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT). This study took place in fourteen primary care practices in Bristol, England and aimed to identify issues around recruitment and retention for a full-scale trial.
It was not powered to support statistical analysis of differences in outcomes. Integrated qualitative methodology was used to explore the feasibility and acceptability of recruitment and randomisation to the intervention.
Results: Forty-four patients were recruited (1 August 2012–November 28, 2013), falling short of our predicted recruitment rate of 100 patients in 8 months.
Qualitative data from GPs showed recruitment was not feasible because it was difficult to identify potential participants within 4 months of symptom onset. Some referring GPs felt screening investigations recommended by NICE were unnecessary, and they had difficulty finding patients who met the eligibility criteria.
Qualitative data from some participant interviews suggested that the intervention was not acceptable in its current format. Although the majority of participants found parts of the intervention acceptable, many reported one or more problems with acceptability.
Participants who discontinued the intervention or found it problematic did not relate to the therapeutic model, disliked telephone consultations or found self-reflection challenging.
Conclusions: A randomised controlled trial to test an early intervention for fatigue in adults in primary care is not feasible using this intervention and recruitment strategy.
4. Sepulveda N et al. (2020)
Review of the Quality Control Checks Performed by Current Genome-Wide and Targeted-Genome Association Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Frontiers in Pediatrics [Epub ahead of print].
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating disease characterized by persistent fatigue and post-exertion malaise, accompanied by other symptoms (1,2).
The direct cause of the disease remains elusive, but it may include genetic factors alongside environmental triggers, such as strong microbial infections and other stressors (3,4).
Aiming to identify putative genetic factors that could explain the pathophysiological mechanisms of ME/CFS, four genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and two targeted-genome association studies (TGAS) were conducted in the past decade (5–10).
In the four GWAS, thousands of genetic markers located across the whole genome were evaluated for their statistical association with ME/CFS (5–8). The two TGAS had the same statistical objective of the four GWAS, but alternatively investigated the association of the disease with numerous genetic markers located in candidate genes related to inflammation and immunity (9) and in genes encoding diverse adrenergic receptors (10).
The findings from all these different studies suggested conflicting evidence of genetic association with ME/CFS: from absence of association (7), through mild association (10) up to moderate associations of a relatively small number of genetic markers (5,6,9). The most optimistic GWAS suggested more than 5,500 candidate gene-disease associations (8).
This inconsistency in the reported findings prompted us to review the respective data. With this purpose, the present opinion paper first revisits the recommended quality control (QC) checks for GWAS and TGAS, and then summarizes which ones were performed by those studies on ME/CFS.
ME Awareness Month – May 2020
Read the stories and announcements from ME Awareness Month.
The Lost Years
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