Brenu, Ekua W, van Driel, Mieke L, Staines, Don R et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2011 · DOI
This study examined immune system markers in 95 ME/CFS patients compared to 50 healthy people to see if certain blood tests could help diagnose the condition. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had imbalanced immune responses, including higher levels of certain inflammatory proteins and lower activity of immune cells that normally fight infections. These immune differences might one day be used as reliable diagnostic markers to help doctors identify ME/CFS.
ME/CFS currently lacks objective biomarkers for diagnosis, requiring extensive exclusionary testing and causing diagnostic delays. Identifying consistent immunological abnormalities could enable faster, more reliable diagnosis and provide insight into disease mechanisms, potentially guiding future therapeutic strategies targeting immune dysregulation.
This study does not establish that these immune abnormalities cause ME/CFS or are specific to it; they may be consequences of the disease rather than drivers. The cross-sectional design cannot determine if these markers change over time or whether they would reliably distinguish ME/CFS from other post-viral conditions or chronic inflammatory disorders. Replication in larger, diverse populations is needed before clinical implementation.
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
Brenu, Ekua W, van Driel, Mieke L, Staines, Don R, Ashton, Kevin J, Ramos, Sandra B, Keane, James, et al. (2011). Immunological abnormalities as potential biomarkers in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.. Journal of translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5876-9-81
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-brenu-2011-immunological-abnormalities,
author = {Brenu, Ekua W and van Driel, Mieke L and Staines, Don R and Ashton, Kevin J and Ramos, Sandra B and Keane, James and Klimas, Nancy G and Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya M},
title = {Immunological abnormalities as potential biomarkers in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1186/1479-5876-9-81},
note = {PubMed: 21619669},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brenu-2011-immunological-abnormalities},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brenu-2011-immunological-abnormalities
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