Abstract:
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multifaceted disorder characterized by persistent fatigue, post-exertional malaise (PEM), cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbance, pain, psychological distress, orthostatic intolerance, and impaired multidimensional health status and functioning. In the absence of reliable biomarkers, standardized symptom assessment is essential for accurate diagnosis and comparability across studies.
This narrative literature review synthesized studies identified through PubMed and Web of Science up to June 2024, covering assessment instruments across major ME/CFS symptom domains. Tools were evaluated for their psychometric validity, clinical applicability, and key limitations.
Overall, existing scales demonstrate acceptable reliability but vary in sensitivity and disease specificity. Harmonized, multidimensional, and digitally or objectively validated measures are needed to improve diagnostic precision, longitudinal monitoring, and clinical translation in ME/CFS.
Source: Lu J, Sun W, Li S, Qu Y, Liu T, Guo S, Feng C, Yang T. Assessment of symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a comparative study of existing scales. Front Neurol. 2025 Nov 18;16:1618272. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1618272. PMID: 41341517; PMCID: PMC12668935. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12668935/ (Full text)