Mapping cerebral blood flow in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and orthostatic intolerance: insights from a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex and debilitating condition with a large proportion of patients that experience orthostatic intolerance (OI). This systematic review aimed to assess whether cerebral blood flow (CBF) is reduced in ME/CFS and OI, and whether the presence of both conditions leads to an additional decline in CBF.

Methods

PubMed (from 1943), MEDLINE (from 1946), EMBASE (from 1947) and Cochrane were searched from inception to February 14th, 2025, using terms including "chronic fatigue syndrome", "myalgic encephalomyelitis", "orthostatic intolerance" and "cerebral blood flow". Article selection required the following criteria: published in English; CBF measured in participants with either ME/CFS or OI, or both ME/CF

SUBMITTER: Christopoulos EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12382099 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature