Table 1.
Characteristics of the seven studies included in this meta-analysis
| Study | Journal | Study design | Sample size, na | Sex female, n (%) | Age (SD or range) | ME/CFS/SEID patient group, n | Healthy control group, n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuratsune H, et al. [12] | Nihon rinsho | Retrospective study | 59 | 34 (57.6) | 35.9 (14–62) | 27 | 41 |
| Kuratsune H, et al. [13] | Clinical infectious diseases | Retrospective study | 38 | 19 (50) | No data | 38 | 308 |
| Plioplys AV, et al. [14] | Neuropsychobiology | Retrospective study | 35 | 27 (77.1) | 40 (16–67) | M 8, F 27 | M 40, F 45 |
| Kuratsune H, et al. [15]b | International journal of molecular medicine | Retrospective study | 57 | 57 (100) | No data | 57 | 46 |
| Kuratsune H, et al. [15]c | International journal of molecular medicine | Retrospective study | 146 | 82 (56.2) | No data | M 64, F 82 | M 177, F 131 |
| Soetekouw PM, et al. [16] | The Netherlands journal of medicine | Retrospective study | 25 | 25 (100) | 35.9 (9.8) | 25 | 25 |
| Jones MG, et al. [17] | Clinica chimica acta | Retrospective study | 31 | 19 (61.3) | M 42 (26–63), F 42 (21–84) | 31 | 31 |
| Reuter SE, et al. [18] | Journal of internal medicine | Retrospective study | 44 | 27 (61.4) | 49.9 (15) | 44 | 49 |
aThe number of patients diagnosed with ME/CFS/SEID according to the diagnostic criteria [3, 19–21]
bCharacteristics of Swedish patients with ME/CFS/SEID [15]
cCharacteristics of Japanese patients with ME/CFS/SEID [15]
ME myalgic encephalomyelitis, CFS chronic fatigue syndrome, SEID systemic exertion intolerance disease, n number, SD standard deviation, M male, F female