Itoh, Yasuhiko, Hamada, Hisamitsu, Igarashi, Tohru et al. · Modern rheumatology · 2004 · DOI
This case study describes a patient who had ME/CFS along with a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA)—a blood marker sometimes seen in autoimmune conditions. Five years after developing ME/CFS, the patient developed postpartum thyroiditis, an autoimmune thyroid condition that occurs after pregnancy. The doctors discussed how autoimmune conditions affecting the immune system might be connected to both ME/CFS and thyroid problems.
This study highlights a potential link between autoimmune markers and ME/CFS, suggesting that some patients may have underlying autoimmune processes worth investigating. Recognition of thyroid autoimmunity in ME/CFS patients could lead to earlier detection and management of secondary autoimmune conditions, improving patient outcomes.
This single case report cannot prove that ANA positivity causes ME/CFS or that ME/CFS predisposes to thyroiditis. The temporal relationship between conditions does not establish causation, and findings from one patient cannot be generalized to the broader ME/CFS population. This study also does not determine the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in ME/CFS patients.
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
Itoh, Yasuhiko, Hamada, Hisamitsu, Igarashi, Tohru, Kuwabara, Natsuko, Imai, Taiyo, Fujino, Osamu, et al. (2004). A case with chronic fatigue syndrome with positive antinuclear antibody followed by postpartum thyroiditis.. Modern rheumatology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-004-0332-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-itoh-2004-case-chronic,
author = {Itoh, Yasuhiko and Hamada, Hisamitsu and Igarashi, Tohru and Kuwabara, Natsuko and Imai, Taiyo and Fujino, Osamu and Fukunaga, Yoshitaka},
title = {A case with chronic fatigue syndrome with positive antinuclear antibody followed by postpartum thyroiditis.},
journal = {Modern rheumatology},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1007/s10165-004-0332-3},
note = {PubMed: 17143702},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/itoh-2004-case-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/itoh-2004-case-chronic
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