Groven, Nina, Fors, Egil A, Reitan, Solveig Klæbo · Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2019 · DOI
This study measured inflammation markers in the blood of people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, compared to healthy people. Both patient groups had higher levels of a marker called hsCRP (a sign of inflammation) than healthy controls. The two conditions showed similar inflammation levels, suggesting they may share some biological similarities.
This study provides objective biological evidence that ME/CFS involves measurable immune activation, supporting the view that it is not purely psychological. Finding that both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia share elevated inflammation suggests these conditions may have overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, which could guide future research into shared treatment approaches.
This study does not prove that elevated hsCRP causes ME/CFS or fibromyalgia—it only shows an association. It also does not establish whether hsCRP elevation is primary to disease pathology or secondary to other factors, and cannot distinguish between the two conditions based on inflammation levels alone. The cross-sectional design prevents determination of causality or whether hsCRP changes over disease course.
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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