Jason, Leonard A, Katz, Ben Z · Microorganisms · 2025 · DOI
This study followed college students before and after they got infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein-Barr virus to understand why some people develop ME/CFS afterward while others recover. Researchers collected health information and blood samples from students at three time points: before they got sick, shortly after their IM diagnosis, and six months later. By studying these young people over time, the researchers identified certain factors present before and during the infection that seemed to predict who would develop ME/CFS rather than recover.
Understanding which factors predict ME/CFS development after IM could help clinicians identify high-risk patients early and guide preventive interventions. This rare prospective study design—collecting data before the triggering illness—provides stronger evidence than retrospective studies and offers insights applicable to other post-viral syndromes like Long COVID.
This study does not prove causation between the identified risk factors and ME/CFS development; it identifies correlations. The findings cannot establish which factors are directly responsible for ME/CFS pathophysiology versus which are markers of underlying vulnerability. Results from college students may not apply to children, older adults, or other populations.
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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