NIH Intramural ME/CFS Study

Overview

In 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the NIH Intramural Study on ME/CFS, which took place at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. The study focused on individuals who developed myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) after an infection and had been diagnosed within the previous 5 years. The goal was to closely examine the clinical and biological characteristics of the disease to improve our understanding of its causes and progression. The collaborative study was led by Avindra Nath, M.D., clinical director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and involved researchers from other Institutes and Centers at the NIH, and from outside research institutions.

Publications

Walitt B, et al. Deep phenotyping of post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 21;15(1):907. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45107-3. PMID: 38383456; PMCID: PMC10881493.

• NIH Intramural ME/CFS Study Q&A

Stussman B, Calco B, Norato G, Gavin A, Chigurupati S, Nath A, Walitt B. Mixed methods system for the assessment of post-exertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an exploratory study. BMJ Neurol Open. 2024 Feb 10;6(1):e000529. doi: 10.1136/bmjno-2023-000529. PMID: 38352048; PMCID: PMC10862339.

Stussman B, Williams A, Snow J, Gavin A, Scott R, Nath A, Walitt B. Characterization of Post-exertional Malaise in Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Front Neurol. 2020 Sep 18;11:1025. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.01025. PMID: 33071931; PMCID: PMC7530890.

News

March 5, 2024
Insight into mechanisms of ME/CFS
NIH Research Matters

February 21, 2024
NIH study offers new clues into the causes of post-infectious ME/CFS
NIH News Release

September 21, 2020
NIH study details self-reported experiences with post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS
NIH News Release

March 21, 2017
Moving Toward Answers in ME/CFS
NIH Director’s Blog

October 29, 2015
NIH takes action to bolster research on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
NIH News Release