Table 4.
Diseases reported by patients perceived to be associated with the onset of their ME/CFS (N = 117).
| Infectious disease | Total | Categories | Number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viral diseases | 91 | Herpesviridiae | 84 | Clinical EBV (N = 46); subclinical EBV (N = 23); Herpes spp (N = 12); Cytomegaly Virus (N = 3) |
| Childhood diseases | 6 | Complicated chickenpox (N = 2); Measle (N = 1); Mumps (N = 1); Rubella (N = 1); Scarlett fever (N = 1) | ||
| Unspecific | 1 | |||
| Respiratory infections | 39 | Common colds and flu | 28 | Severe; protracted |
| Pneumonia | 9 | |||
| Tuberculosis | 1 | |||
| SARS virus | 1 | |||
| Gastro-intestinal infections | 19 | Pathogens and parasites | 10 | Helminthiasis, Schistosomiasis; Giardia, Campylobacter, Shigella, Helicobacter (all with severe diarrhea and often after trips abroad) |
| Gastro-intestinal “flu” | 5 | Severe; protected | ||
| Hepatitis | 4 | Hepatitis A (N = 3), EBV complication (N = 1) | ||
| Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) | 19 | Borreliosis | 14 | |
| Tick-borne viral encephalitis | 2 | |||
| Other TBDs | 3 | Ehrlichiosis (N = 1); Bartonella (N = 1); Rickettsia (N = 1) | ||
| Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) | 2 | Chlamydia | 1 | |
| Papiloma Virus | 1 | |||
| Miscellaneous | 17 | Upper respiratory tract infections | 10 | Ear/sinusitis/tonsillitis (N = 7); Purulent throat infections with abscess (N = 3) |
| Unspecific bacterial infections | 5 | |||
| Mycoplasma | 2 |