A Case Definition for Children with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The case defi nition for chronic fatigue syndrome was developed for adults (Fukuda et al. 1994), and this case defi nition may not be appropriate for use with children and adolescents. The lack of application of a consistent pediatric defi nition for this illness and the lack of a reliable instrument to assess it might lead to studies which lack sensitivity and specifi city. In this article, a case defi nition is presented that has been endorsed by the International Association of ME/CFS.