Elgen, Irene, Hikmat, Omar, Aspevik, Tora N et al. · International journal of pediatrics · 2013 · DOI
This study looked at 27 children and adolescents diagnosed with ME/CFS over a 10-year period in one clinic. Almost all of them developed fatigue after an infection and showed evidence of past viral infections. About 44% were underweight. The researchers concluded that diagnosing ME/CFS in young people requires careful evaluation by multiple specialists and attention to nutrition and mental health.
This study addresses an understudied population—children with ME/CFS—and documents that pediatric cases show clear infection-triggered onset and immunological markers consistent with post-viral illness. The finding that nutritional status and comorbid issues are common underscores the need for comprehensive evaluation in young people, informing clinical care pathways and highlighting gaps in European diagnostic guidelines.
This retrospective, single-clinic study cannot establish causation between prior infections and ME/CFS development or determine prevalence in the general pediatric population. The serological positivity (IgG to EBV/CMV/borrelia) indicates past infection but does not prove it directly caused CFS, as these infections are common. The study also does not compare ME/CFS children against matched healthy controls or systematically assess functional impairment or post-exertional malaise.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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