Groven, Nina, Fors, Egil A, Iversen, Valentina C et al. · Nordic journal of psychiatry · 2018 · DOI
This study looked at immune system markers called cytokines in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people, and how these markers related to mood and anxiety symptoms. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had slightly higher levels of one immune marker (TNF-α) and discovered different patterns of how immune markers connected to psychiatric symptoms in ME/CFS patients versus healthy controls. The findings suggest that immune system activity may work differently in ME/CFS, which could help explain some symptoms and guide future treatments.
Understanding how immune markers differ between ME/CFS patients and healthy people—and how they relate to psychiatric symptoms—could help identify biological mechanisms underlying ME/CFS and potentially guide new treatment strategies. This research suggests that immune dysfunction in ME/CFS may not follow the same patterns as in other conditions, emphasizing the need for ME/CFS-specific research.
This study does not prove that cytokine differences cause psychiatric symptoms or vice versa—it only shows they are associated. The small sample size and cross-sectional design prevent conclusions about whether immune changes drive symptom development or how they change over time. The findings cannot be generalized to all ME/CFS patients, particularly those with different symptom profiles.
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
Groven, Nina, Fors, Egil A, Iversen, Valentina C, White, Linda R, & Reitan, Solveig Klæbo (2018). Association between cytokines and psychiatric symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy controls.. Nordic journal of psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2018.1493747
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-groven-2018-association-between,
author = {Groven, Nina and Fors, Egil A and Iversen, Valentina C and White, Linda R and Reitan, Solveig Klæbo},
title = {Association between cytokines and psychiatric symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy controls.},
journal = {Nordic journal of psychiatry},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1080/08039488.2018.1493747},
note = {PubMed: 30063870},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/groven-2018-association-between},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/groven-2018-association-between
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