Włodarczyk, Marcin, Makaro, Adam, Prusisz, Mateusz et al. · Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023 · DOI
This review examines why people with Crohn's disease—an inflammatory bowel condition—often experience severe, persistent tiredness that goes beyond normal fatigue. The authors explain that fatigue in Crohn's disease is common but often overlooked, stems from multiple causes we don't fully understand yet, and is difficult to treat, especially when other disease symptoms improve. They call for better screening, team-based care including mental health support, and more research to understand and treat this debilitating symptom.
This review is relevant to ME/CFS researchers because it documents how fatigue in another chronic inflammatory condition persists despite objective disease remission—a phenomenon paralleling post-exertional malaise and fatigue in ME/CFS. Understanding the mechanisms and management challenges of fatigue in CD may provide insights into similar disconnects between inflammatory markers and symptom burden in ME/CFS.
This review does not prove causal mechanisms underlying fatigue in Crohn's disease, nor does it establish treatment efficacy for any specific intervention. As a literature review rather than empirical research, it cannot determine whether fatigue in CD and ME/CFS share common pathophysiological pathways. It does not directly measure fatigue severity, prevalence rates, or treatment outcomes in a defined patient cohort.
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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