Hamre, H J · Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny raekke · 1995
ME/CFS is a real medical condition that causes extreme tiredness, low-grade fevers, sore throats, and pain in joints and muscles, often starting after a flu-like illness. Exercise makes symptoms significantly worse. While doctors don't yet have a single blood test to diagnose it, research shows patients may have problems with brain blood flow, immune system issues, and mitochondrial (cellular energy) abnormalities.
This review was published early in the modern ME/CFS era and helped consolidate understanding that ME/CFS is a distinct biological condition with measurable abnormalities in immune function, hormonal systems, mitochondrial function, and brain perfusion—findings that challenged earlier dismissals of ME/CFS as purely psychological.
This literature review does not establish causality for any of the reported abnormalities, nor does it clarify whether observed biological changes are primary causes or secondary consequences of the disease. The review does not provide a definitive diagnostic test or prove that ME/CFS is distinct from all other conditions, and the small evidence base available in 1995 may not reflect current understanding.
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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