Characterizing Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Symptom Burden, Functional Impairment, and Comparison With Adults in the Multi-Site Clinical Assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM) Study.

OBJECTIVES

To characterize the clinical, functional, and educational characteristics of adolescents with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and compare selected illness domains with adults in the Multi-Site Clinical Assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM) study.

STUDY

DESIGN

Baseline cross-sectional data from adolescents aged 10-17 years enrolled in MCAM were analyzed. Standardized measures included the Short Form-36 (SF-36v2), CDC Symptom Inventory (CDC-SI), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), and selected domains of the DePaul Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics characterized the pediatric cohort and bivariate analyses compared adolescents with adults enrolled in MCAM.

RESULTS

Forty adolescents (mean age 15.3 years; 52.5% female) were included. Mean illness duration was 4.0 years. Educational disruption was substantial: 64% received homebound or homeschool instruction, 89% missed school because of illness, and participants missed a mean of 10.8 school days during the preceding month. Physical health-related quality of life was substantially impaired. Persistent post-exertional malaise (PEM), unrefreshing sleep, fatigue, and neurocognitive symptoms were common. Compared with adults (n = 595), adolescents had shorter illness duration and better physical functioning, vitality, and social functioning, whereas mental health scores were similar. Adults reported greater burden across several physical symptom domains although many between-group differences were small.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents with ME/CFS experience substantial multisystem symptom burden, impaired physical functioning and educational disruption. Many core clinical features were similar to those in adults, supporting the need for early recognition and appropriate clinical and educational support.