Dooley, Ming · International journal of molecular sciences · 2025 · DOI
This review examines how doctors can better distinguish between two similar-looking illnesses: Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and ME/CFS. The authors trace how testing methods have evolved from simple vision tests to advanced blood tests that read genetic activity. They suggest that some patients diagnosed with ME/CFS may actually have CIRS, which is treatable if properly identified.
Accurate differentiation between CIRS and ME/CFS could improve treatment outcomes, as these conditions may require different therapeutic approaches. Many patients may be misdiagnosed, delaying appropriate care. Better biomarker frameworks could reduce diagnostic uncertainty and help clinicians tailor interventions to the underlying pathophysiology.
This review does not prove that biomarkers definitively distinguish CIRS from ME/CFS in all patients, nor does it establish that current ME/CFS diagnoses are wrong. It presents a framework comparison rather than original validation data. The claim that some ME/CFS cases are 'actually CIRS' is based on overlapping features, not definitive causal evidence.
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 →
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Primary citation
Dooley, Ming (2025). Biomarkers over Time: From Visual Contrast Sensitivity to Transcriptomics in Differentiating Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157284
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-dooley-2025-biomarkers-over,
author = {Dooley, Ming},
title = {Biomarkers over Time: From Visual Contrast Sensitivity to Transcriptomics in Differentiating Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/ijms26157284},
note = {PubMed: 40806417},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/dooley-2025-biomarkers-over},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/dooley-2025-biomarkers-over
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