Active clinical trials for "Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic"

The hypothesis is that a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), including also patients with no clinical response after B-cell depletion therapy using the anti-CD20 antibody Rituximab, may benefit from tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibition using Etanercept as weekly subcutaneous injections.

The purpose of this data registry is to prospectively collect data from patients referred to an Complex Chronic Diseases Program (CCDP) at BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre to assess the quality of life of the CCDP Patients before, during and after their care at the CCDP.

Based on pilot patient observations, and experience from the prior study KTS-1-2008, the investigators anticipate that severely affected chronic fatigue syndrome patients may benefit from B-cell depletion therapy using Rituximab induction with maintenance treatment. The hypothesis is that at least a subset of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients have an activated immune system involving B-lymphocytes, and that prolonged B-cell depletion may alleviate symptoms. An approved amendment (April 15th 2011): the study will be extended with up to 5 patients. For up to 5 patients in the study, standard plasma exchange may be performed 2-3 weeks prior to start of B-lymphocyte depletion using Rituximab (as in the protocol). Approved amendment (December 2011): for patients with gradual improvement in CFS/ME symptoms after 12 months follow-up, but not having reached a clear response, up to 6 additional Rituximab infusions (500 mg/m2, max 1000 mg) may be given during the following 12 months period.

This study will be building on the findings of Kalfas et al 2022 paper exploring the prevalence of generalised worry in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) before and after Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The research was conducted in South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust's (SLaM) Persistent Physical Symptoms Research and Treatment Unit. Previous research has indicated a bidirectional relationship between fatigue and worry (Kalfas et al., 2022); the findings of this paper suggest both that many ME/CFS patients experience comorbid problematic generalised worry and that there is a positive association between severity of worry and levels of fatigue (Kalfas et al, 2022). It appears that CBT for ME/CFS indirectly treats worry, however effect sizes are small to moderate, and treatment outcomes may improve if CBT treatments incorporate strategies that target generalised worry (Kalfas et al 2022). The aims of this project are to further explore worry in this group of patients through qualitative methods.

The main aim of the study is to examine the effect of oral CoQ10 plus NADH (Reconnect®) supplementation twice daily for 8-weeks on the changes in fatigue perception, sleep disturbances, autonomic dysfunction and HRQoL assessed by patient-reported outcome measures in CFS/ME.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a neurological disease. Currently there is no effective treatment for ME/CFS due to unclear etiology of the disease. The aim of this randomized double-blind placebo-control clinical trial is to study the efficacy of the probiotic food supplement "GutMagnific™" in ME/CFS and comorbid gastrointestinal complications. The outcome of the study will be assessed based on the data from different self-reporting questionnaires and intestinal microbial flora analysis.

The proposed placebo-controlled pilot study will examine hydrogen water as a treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). 25 subjects who meet strict criteria for ME/CFS will be recruited. The 30 day trial will involve subjects ingesting 1-5 8 oz. glasses of hydrogen-dissolved water per day. The placebo condition will involve the same daily ingestion schedule but with an inert placebo pill instead of the active hydrogen treatment pill. The proposed study is intended to establish feasibility of the clinical protocol and examine potential treatment effects of hydrogen water which may include symptom reduction and possibly improved functioning. If feasibility and apparent treatment effects are confirmed, a large clinical trial will be proposed for submission to NIH. In addition to potential therapeutic properties, H2 water is portable, easily administered and safe to ingest. Self-report assessments for ME/CFS symptoms, fatigue, autonomic symptoms, physical function, anxiety, and depression will be done in the week before and the week after the 30 day trial. In addition, 7-day home-based objective assessments of heart rate variability (a measure of parasympathetic function) and accelerometry (a physical activity assessment) will be scheduled before and after the intervention period.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has spread rapidly across the globe since its emergence in January 2020. As of January 2021, there are 87.6 million confirmed cases worldwide, with 1.9milion deaths. In conjunction with this high disease incidence, there have also been reports of Covid-19 related sleep disordered breathing, with up 18% in a Chinese study and 57% in an Italian study of individuals with Covid-19 reporting sleep disturbance. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common, chronic condition due to partial or complete upper airway collapse during sleep. OSA is more common in males & obese individuals, both of which are more adversely affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, inflammation of the upper airway, or nasal passages leading to congestion could lead to a compromised upper airway during sleep and subsequently, obstructive sleep apnea. We believe that's SARS -CoV-2 infection, and subsequent Covid-19 will lead to an altered microbiome in the upper airway. This is turn will lead to worsening nasal inflammation and congestion, which could predispose individual with previous Covid-19 disease to OSA. Additionally, OSA is treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) a machine which delivers pressurized air into the upper airway via a face mask. This keeps the upper airway open during sleep. When CPAP is well tolerated by individuals, it works well to reduce the symptoms of OSA. Unfortunately, many patients find it difficult to tolerate CPAP. One reason often reported for poor tolerance is nasal congestion. We believe that an altered upper airway microbiome, due to previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, will affect treatment adherence to CPAP therapy. Secondly, we will investigate if treatment with CPAP therapy causes any change in the upper airway microbiome.

The investigators will conduct acupuncture for participants with chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS). Firstly the investigators aim to figure out the characteristic of sleep structure of CFS and the changes caused by acupuncture. Secondly the investigators seek to investigate the characteristic of sleep-wake rhythm, slow wave sleep(SWS)-rapid eye movement(REM)sleep rhythm, and REM sleep rhythm of CFS and the readjusting of acupuncture for it. Thirdly the investigators want to know the efficacy of acupuncture for relieving the fatigue, reducing accompanying symptoms and for improving the life quality of CFS.

The purpose of this pilot study is to gather preliminary data on the efficacy and feasibility of the Amygdala Retraining Program (ARP), a mind-body practice versus a control (C) on fatigue, quality of life and sleep in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue (CF) and Fibromyalgia (FM). CFS, CF and FM are incapacitating disorders characterized by profound fatigue, muscle pain, impaired memory, insomnia, and post-exertional malaise (Fukuda 1994). Current literature points to a centrally sensitized state in CFS, CF and FM (Meeus 2007). The ARP attempts to retrain this neuronal network through mind-body practices such as cognitive restructuring via neurolinguistic programming, yoga based breathing and simple mindfulness based meditation. A case series of 33 patients with CFS and ARP reported improvement in 92% of patients with two-thirds of patients reaching 80-100% of pre-illness levels of health (Gupta 2009). However ARP has never been formally studied in CFS. We propose to gather preliminary data on the efficacy and feasibility of ARP versus C on fatigue, quality of life and sleep in 30 patients with CFS, CF and FM. All participants will undergo standard clinical treatment which consist of a 2 day self-management program in the Chronic Fatigue Clinic. Following this, participants will be randomized into the ARP or C group. The ARP group will receive an additional 2.5 hour training surrounding core concepts of the ARP program. They will then be given the ARP DVD program and booklet, to reinforce and continue the practice. They will then receive scheduled bi-monthly phone calls for 3 months from a study investigator for support. The C group will receive only standard care. However they will receive a complementary copy of the ARP program at the end of the study (6 month time point) as a gift for participation in the study. Preliminary data on efficacy will be assessed at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months using the following validated questionnaires: Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MDFI), Short form-36 (SF36) Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Epworth Sleep Scale (ESS) and Measure Your Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP-2). Feasibility will be assessed by evaluation of a daily practice log where patients record the total time spent daily in the practice of ARP and any specific difficulties they encountered in the practice of the program.