Diagnostic Criteria and Case Definitions

1 Brurberg et al. 2014 — Case Definitions for CFS/ME: Systematic Review

Full Citation:: Brurberg KG, F{}ngeb{} VS, Larun L, Mengshoel AM, Landmark L, Malterud K, White PD. Case definitions for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2014;4(2):e003973. (Brurberg et al. 2014) DOI:: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003973 Key Findings::

- Systematic comparison of multiple CFS/ME case definitions
- Different criteria select different patient populations with varying symptom profiles
- Highlights heterogeneity introduced by case definition choice in research

Relevance to Part V:: Essential for modeling chapters that must specify which diagnostic criteria define the modelled population; criterion choice affects parameter estimation.

2 Carruthers et al. 2011 — International Consensus Criteria

Full Citation:: Carruthers BM, van de Sande MI, De Meirleir KL, et al. Myalgic encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2011;270(4):327–338. (Carruthers et al. 2011) DOI:: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02428.x Key Findings::

- Most stringent widely-used ME criteria; requires post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion as cardinal feature
- Requires neurological, immune/GI/GU, and energy production impairments
- Proposes “myalgic encephalomyelitis” as more accurate than “chronic fatigue syndrome”

Relevance to Part V:: Defines patient inclusion criteria for formal models; energy production impairment emphasis aligns with metabolic modeling framework.

3 NICE 2021 — ME/CFS Diagnosis and Management Guideline (NG206)

Full Citation:: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline [NG206]. London: NICE; 2021. (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2021) URL:: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206 Key Findings::

- All four core symptoms required: debilitating fatiguability, PEM, unrefreshing sleep, cognitive difficulties
- GET no longer recommended; CBT not considered a treatment for ME/CFS itself
- PEM recognized as the cardinal symptom

Relevance to Part V:: Guideline constraints inform model validation targets and treatment-model boundary conditions.

References

Brurberg, Kjetil G, Vivían Schünemann Føngebø, Lillebeth Larun, Anne Marit Mengshoel, Line Landmark, Kirsti Malterud, and Peter D White. 2014. “Case Definitions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): A Systematic Review.” BMJ Open 4 (2): e003973. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003973.
Carruthers, Bruce M, Marjorie I van de Sande, Kenny L De Meirleir, Nancy G Klimas, Gordon Broderick, Terry Mitchell, Donald Staines, et al. 2011. “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria.” Journal of Internal Medicine 270 (4): 327–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02428.x.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2021. “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (or Encephalopathy)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management.” NICE guideline [NG206]. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206.