Chaves-Filho, Adriano Maia, Braniff, Olivia, Angelova, Angelina et al. · Brain research bulletin · 2023 · DOI
This study examines how long COVID and ME/CFS may share similar problems in the body, particularly chronic inflammation (ongoing swelling and immune activation) and low levels of plasmalogens, which are protective fats found in cell membranes. The researchers propose that restoring plasmalogen levels through dietary supplements could potentially help reduce symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise in both conditions.
This work identifies a potential common biochemical pathway (plasmalogen metabolism) linking two conditions that affect millions of people worldwide and cause severe disability. If plasmalogens are indeed a key factor, it could lead to a simple, testable, and potentially safe therapeutic intervention. This represents an important bridge between basic lipid biology and clinical treatment development for ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that plasmalogen deficiency causes ME/CFS or post-COVID-19; it is a hypothesis proposing a mechanism based on existing literature. The paper does not present clinical trial data showing that plasmalogen replacement therapy actually works in ME/CFS patients. Correlation between reduced plasmalogens and symptoms does not establish causation, and the authors acknowledge that plasmalogen alterations have not yet been formally examined in post-COVID-19 populations.
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
Chaves-Filho, Adriano Maia, Braniff, Olivia, Angelova, Angelina, Deng, Yuru, & Tremblay, Marie-Ève (2023). Chronic inflammation, neuroglial dysfunction, and plasmalogen deficiency as a new pathobiological hypothesis addressing the overlap between post-COVID-19 symptoms and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.. Brain research bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110702
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chaves-filho-2023-chronic-inflammation,
author = {Chaves-Filho, Adriano Maia and Braniff, Olivia and Angelova, Angelina and Deng, Yuru and Tremblay, Marie-Ève},
title = {Chronic inflammation, neuroglial dysfunction, and plasmalogen deficiency as a new pathobiological hypothesis addressing the overlap between post-COVID-19 symptoms and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Brain research bulletin},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110702},
note = {PubMed: 37423295},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chaves-filho-2023-chronic-inflammation},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chaves-filho-2023-chronic-inflammation
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