Bansal, Rhea A, Tadros, Susan, Bansal, Amolak S · Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2020 · DOI
This study looked at whether people with primary antibody deficiency (PAD)—a condition where the immune system doesn't make enough protective proteins—also experience ME/CFS-like symptoms. Researchers sent questionnaires to over 680 PAD patients and found that about 16% of those who responded had symptoms matching ME/CFS criteria, which is much higher than the general population. The study also found that sleep problems, fatigue, anxiety, and low mood were very common in PAD patients.
This study reveals that ME/CFS-like symptoms are substantially more common in PAD patients than in the general population, suggesting potential shared pathophysiological mechanisms or that immunological dysfunction may contribute to ME/CFS symptomatology. Understanding this overlap could inform both diagnostic approaches and treatment strategies for ME/CFS patients. The findings highlight the importance of screening for fatigue, sleep disturbance, and mood symptoms in immunocompromised populations.
This study does not establish causation between PAD and ME/CFS, nor does it prove that PAD causes ME/CFS symptoms. The high response bias (patients with fatigue more likely to complete questionnaires) means the actual prevalence estimates may not be reliable. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether symptoms preceded PAD diagnosis or vice versa, and symptom overlap does not necessarily indicate a shared mechanism.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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