Systematic Review of Sleep Characteristics in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

(1) Background—Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multifaceted illness characterized by profound and persistent fatigue unrelieved by rest along with a range of other debilitating symptoms. Experiences of unrefreshing and disturbed sleep are frequently described by ME/CFS patients. This is the first systematic review assessing sleep characteristics in ME/CFS. The aim of this review is to determine whether there are clinical characteristics of sleep in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls using objective measures such as polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing. (2) Methods—the following databases—Pubmed, Embase, Medline (EBSCO host) and Web of Science, were systematically searched for journal articles published between January 1994 to 19 February 2021. Articles that referred to polysomnography or multiple sleep latency testing and ME/CFS patients were selected, and further refined through use of specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality and bias were measured using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. (3) Results—twenty observational studies were included in this review. The studies investigated objective measures of sleep quality in ME/CFS. Subjective measures including perceived sleep quality and other quality of life factors were also described. (4) Conclusions— Many of the parameters measured including slow- wave sleep, apnea- hypopnea index, spectral activity and multiple sleep latency testing were inconsistent across the studies. The available research on sleep quality in ME/CFS was also limited by recruitment decisions, confounding factors, small sample sizes and non-replicated findings. Future well-designed studies are required to understand sleep quality in ME/CFS patients.

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Polysomnographic and multiple sleep latency testing data in a large sample of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and their relationship with subjective scores

Fatigue Biomedicine Health & Behavior ◽

10.1080/21641846.2015.1106176 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 94-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Els Tobback ◽

An N. Mariman ◽

Ignace P. Hanoulle ◽

Liesbeth M. Delesie ◽

Dirk P. Vogelaers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Sleep Latency ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Large Sample ◽

Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Testing Data ◽

Multiple Sleep Latency ◽

Multiple Sleep Latency Testing

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Treatment for paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and comorbid depression: a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012271 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

pp. e012271 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Maria E Loades ◽

Elizabeth A Sheils ◽

Esther Crawley

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽

Comorbid Depression ◽

Fatigue Syndrome

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A systematic review of enteric dysbiosis in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis

Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1186/s13643-018-0909-0 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

S. Du Preez ◽

M. Corbitt ◽

H. Cabanas ◽

N. Eaton ◽

D. Staines ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽

Fatigue Syndrome

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What treatments work for anxiety in children with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)? Systematic review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015481 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (9) ◽

pp. e015481 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sarah Victoria Ellen Stoll ◽

Esther Crawley ◽

Victoria Richards ◽

Nishita Lal ◽

Amberly Brigden ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Behavioural Therapy ◽

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Diagnostic Status ◽

Randomised Controlled

ObjectivesAnxiety is more prevalent in children with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) than in the general population. A systematic review was carried out to identify which treatment methods are most effective for children with CFS and anxiety.DesignSystematic review using search terms entered into the Cochrane library and Ovid to search the databases Medline, Embase and psychINFO.ParticipantsStudies were selected if participants were <18 years old, diagnosed with CFS/ME (using US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or Oxford criteria) and had a valid assessment of anxiety.InterventionsWe included observational studies and randomised controlled trials.ComparisonAny or none.OutcomesChange in anxiety diagnostic status and/or change in anxiety severity on a validated measure of anxiety from pretreatment to post-treatment.ResultsThe review identified nine papers from eight studies that met the inclusion criteria. None of the studies specifically targeted anxiety but six studies tested an intervention and measured anxiety as a secondary outcome. Of these studies, four used a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-type approach to treat CFS/ME, one used a behavioural approach and one compared a drug treatment, gammaglobulin with a placebo. Three of the CBT-type studies described an improvement in anxiety as did the trial of gammaglobulin. As none of the studies stratified outcomes according to anxiety diagnostic status or severity, we were unable to determine whether anxiety changed prognosis or whether treatments were equally effective in those with comorbid anxiety compared with those without.ConclusionWe do not know what treatment should be offered for children with both anxiety and CFS/ME. Further research is therefore required to answer this question.Trial registration numberThis review was registered on Prospective Register of Systematic Review Protocols (PROSPERO) and the protocol is available fromhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42016043488.

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