Domingo, Joan Carles, Cordobilla, Begoña, Ferrer, Roser et al. · Antioxidants & redox signaling · 2021 · DOI
This study looked for new blood markers that could help identify ME/CFS by measuring two proteins called FGF21 and NT-proBNP in patients and healthy people. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients had significantly higher levels of both proteins and showed signs of increased inflammation and oxidative stress (cellular damage). These findings suggest these proteins might be useful tools for diagnosing ME/CFS or developing new treatments.
ME/CFS lacks reliable biomarkers for diagnosis, creating diagnostic uncertainty for patients. This study identifies two novel proteins that are significantly elevated in ME/CFS and may reflect underlying inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, offering potential new diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets.
This study does not prove that FGF21 and NT-proBNP cause ME/CFS symptoms or that measuring them will definitively diagnose the condition. Correlation between these proteins and inflammatory markers does not establish causation. The small sample size means these findings require replication in larger populations before clinical application.
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
Domingo, Joan Carles, Cordobilla, Begoña, Ferrer, Roser, Giralt, Marina, Alegre-Martín, José, & Castro-Marrero, Jesús (2021). Are Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 and N-Terminal Prohormone of Brain Natriuretic Peptide Promising Novel Biomarkers in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?. Antioxidants & redox signaling. https://doi.org/10.1089/ars.2020.8230
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-domingo-2021-circulating-fibroblast,
author = {Domingo, Joan Carles and Cordobilla, Begoña and Ferrer, Roser and Giralt, Marina and Alegre-Martín, José and Castro-Marrero, Jesús},
title = {Are Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 and N-Terminal Prohormone of Brain Natriuretic Peptide Promising Novel Biomarkers in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?},
journal = {Antioxidants & redox signaling},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1089/ars.2020.8230},
note = {PubMed: 33353469},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/domingo-2021-circulating-fibroblast},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/domingo-2021-circulating-fibroblast
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