Hajdarevic, Riad, Lande, Asgeir, Mehlsen, Jesper et al. · Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2022 · DOI
Researchers studied the genes of nearly 3,000 ME/CFS patients from Norway, Denmark, and the UK to find genetic factors that might increase the risk of developing the disease. While they found some interesting patterns in a gene called TPPP that appeared in multiple study groups, none of the findings were strong enough to definitively prove they cause ME/CFS. This study is the largest genetic search for ME/CFS risk factors conducted so far, but more research with even larger groups of patients will be needed to find reliable genetic clues.
This is the largest genetic study of ME/CFS conducted to date, providing a foundation for future research and demonstrating that ME/CFS has a genetic component worth investigating further. Identifying genetic risk factors could eventually help explain why some people develop ME/CFS and others don't, potentially leading to better diagnosis and treatment strategies.
This study does not establish that any specific gene causes ME/CFS or definitively prove genetic inheritance is the primary driver of disease. The associations found are preliminary and require confirmation in much larger populations before drawing causal conclusions. Additionally, finding a genetic association does not mean the gene alone determines whether someone will develop the disease, as environmental factors likely play important roles.
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
Hajdarevic, Riad, Lande, Asgeir, Mehlsen, Jesper, Rydland, Anne, Sosa, Daisy D, Strand, Elin B, et al. (2022). Genetic association study in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) identifies several potential risk loci.. Brain, behavior, and immunity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2022.03.010
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-hajdarevic-2022-genetic-association,
author = {Hajdarevic, Riad and Lande, Asgeir and Mehlsen, Jesper and Rydland, Anne and Sosa, Daisy D and Strand, Elin B and Mella, Olav and Pociot, Flemming and Fluge, Øystein and Lie, Benedicte A and Viken, Marte K},
title = {Genetic association study in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) identifies several potential risk loci.},
journal = {Brain, behavior, and immunity},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbi.2022.03.010},
note = {PubMed: 35318112},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hajdarevic-2022-genetic-association},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hajdarevic-2022-genetic-association
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