González-Cebrián, Alba, Almenar-Pérez, Eloy, Xu, Jiabao et al. · Frontiers in medicine · 2022 · DOI
Researchers tested whether tiny particles called extracellular vesicles in blood could help diagnose ME/CFS. They analyzed various substances in blood from patients and healthy controls using a computer analysis method. The study found that certain features of these blood particles, combined with other markers, could potentially identify ME/CFS, though more testing is needed to confirm this works reliably in larger groups.
This research provides a potential diagnostic pathway for ME/CFS, a disease currently diagnosed only by clinical criteria without biomarkers. Identifying blood-based markers could enable earlier diagnosis, help distinguish ME/CFS from other conditions, and open doors for monitoring disease progression and treatment response. The findings suggest extracellular vesicles carry disease-specific information relevant to ME/CFS pathophysiology.
This study does not establish that extracellular vesicles cause ME/CFS or explain the mechanisms underlying the disease. The perfect classification achieved (AUC=1) in the refined model needs validation in independent populations—this single study cannot confirm clinical utility. The small sample size and retrospective design mean findings may not generalize to broader patient populations or different clinical settings.
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
González-Cebrián, Alba, Almenar-Pérez, Eloy, Xu, Jiabao, Yu, Tong, Huang, Wei E, Giménez-Orenga, Karen, et al. (2022). Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome With Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis: Relevance of Blood Extracellular Vesicles.. Frontiers in medicine. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.842991
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-gonzlez-cebrin-2022-diagnosis-myalgic,
author = {González-Cebrián, Alba and Almenar-Pérez, Eloy and Xu, Jiabao and Yu, Tong and Huang, Wei E and Giménez-Orenga, Karen and Hutchinson, Sarah and Lodge, Tiffany and Nathanson, Lubov and Morten, Karl J and Ferrer, Alberto and Oltra, Elisa},
title = {Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome With Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis: Relevance of Blood Extracellular Vesicles.},
journal = {Frontiers in medicine},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2022.842991},
note = {PubMed: 35433768},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gonzlez-cebrin-2022-diagnosis-myalgic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gonzlez-cebrin-2022-diagnosis-myalgic
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