Salit, I E, Abbey, S E, Moldofsky, H et al. · Canada diseases weekly report = Rapport hebdomadaire des maladies au Canada · 1991
This 1991 review examined multiple ongoing studies about ME/CFS (then called post-infectious neuromyasthenia), a condition that causes extreme fatigue and other symptoms following infections. The researchers summarized what different studies were finding about how this illness affects the body and brain. This work helped organize early research efforts to better understand this serious condition.
This early systematic review was foundational in establishing ME/CFS as a legitimate medical condition worthy of coordinated research rather than a purely psychiatric disorder. It helped validate patient experiences and provided researchers with a comprehensive overview of emerging evidence, influencing future funding and study directions in ME/CFS research.
As a review of ongoing studies with preliminary data, this work does not establish definitive biomarkers, causative mechanisms, or specific diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. It cannot prove causation between infections and subsequent illness, only that associations were being observed. The heterogeneity of included studies limits the strength of any conclusions.
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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