Blauensteiner, J, Bertinat, R, León, L E et al. · Scientific reports · 2021 · DOI
This study looked at tiny molecules called microRNAs in the blood of ME/CFS patients to understand what might be going wrong with their blood vessels. The researchers found that five specific microRNAs were higher in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people, and these molecules are known to affect how blood vessels function. This discovery suggests that blood vessel problems might be part of what causes ME/CFS symptoms.
Blood vessel dysfunction is an underexplored aspect of ME/CFS that could explain symptoms like exercise intolerance and blood flow problems. Finding specific biomarkers related to endothelial dysfunction could lead to better diagnostic tests and new treatments targeting vascular health. This work opens a new research direction by connecting inflammation, blood vessels, and the molecular changes seen in ME/CFS.
This study shows correlation between elevated microRNAs and ME/CFS, but does not prove these molecules actually cause the disease or blood vessel problems. The findings are observational and do not establish whether correcting these microRNA levels would improve symptoms. It remains unclear whether these microRNA changes are primary drivers of ME/CFS or secondary consequences of other disease processes.
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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Blauensteiner, J, Bertinat, R, León, L E, Riederer, M, Sepúlveda, N, & Westermeier, F (2021). Altered endothelial dysfunction-related miRs in plasma from ME/CFS patients.. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89834-9
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-blauensteiner-2021-altered-endothelial,
author = {Blauensteiner, J and Bertinat, R and León, L E and Riederer, M and Sepúlveda, N and Westermeier, F},
title = {Altered endothelial dysfunction-related miRs in plasma from ME/CFS patients.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-021-89834-9},
note = {PubMed: 34011981},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/blauensteiner-2021-altered-endothelial},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/blauensteiner-2021-altered-endothelial
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