Corbitt, Matthew, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie, Staines, Donald et al. · BMC neurology · 2019 · DOI
Researchers reviewed 15 studies that measured immune signaling molecules called cytokines in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Although many studies have looked at cytokines in ME/CFS, the results were too mixed and inconsistent to show that cytokines could be used as a reliable test for the condition or to confirm a clear role in causing the disease.
Identifying reliable biomarkers is critical for ME/CFS diagnosis and treatment development, as the condition currently lacks objective diagnostic tests. This review reveals that while cytokine research is active, the field has not yet produced consistent enough evidence to move cytokines into clinical use, highlighting the need for more rigorous, standardized research approaches.
This review does not prove that cytokines play no role in ME/CFS—only that current evidence is too inconsistent to establish them as reliable diagnostic markers. It also does not identify which specific cytokines, if any, are meaningfully altered in ME/CFS, nor does it establish causative relationships between cytokine abnormalities and disease symptoms.
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
Corbitt, Matthew, Eaton-Fitch, Natalie, Staines, Donald, Cabanas, Hélène, & Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya (2019). A systematic review of cytokines in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis/systemic exertion intolerance disease (CFS/ME/SEID).. BMC neurology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-019-1433-0
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-corbitt-2019-systematic-review,
author = {Corbitt, Matthew and Eaton-Fitch, Natalie and Staines, Donald and Cabanas, Hélène and Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya},
title = {A systematic review of cytokines in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis/systemic exertion intolerance disease (CFS/ME/SEID).},
journal = {BMC neurology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1186/s12883-019-1433-0},
note = {PubMed: 31445522},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/corbitt-2019-systematic-review},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/corbitt-2019-systematic-review
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