Kennedy, Gwen, Khan, Faisel, Hill, Alexander et al. · Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine · 2010 · DOI
This study compared 25 children with ME/CFS to 23 healthy children to understand what happens in their bodies at a chemical and blood vessel level. The researchers found that children with ME/CFS had signs of increased oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) and more dying white blood cells, similar to what has been seen in adults with ME/CFS. However, unlike adults, the children's blood vessel stiffness appeared normal.
This study provides biological evidence that ME/CFS in children involves real, measurable changes in cellular metabolism and immune function—not psychosomatic illness. Understanding these biochemical signatures in pediatric populations helps establish a biological foundation for the disease and may eventually guide diagnostic tests and treatment targets specific to young patients.
This study does not prove that oxidative stress *causes* ME/CFS symptoms; it only shows an association. The cross-sectional design cannot establish whether these biochemical changes precede illness onset, develop as a consequence of illness, or both. Results are limited to a relatively small sample and cannot be generalized to all ME/CFS patients without replication in larger, more diverse 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 →
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
Kennedy, Gwen, Khan, Faisel, Hill, Alexander, Underwood, Christine, & Belch, Jill J F (2010). Biochemical and vascular aspects of pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome.. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.157
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kennedy-2010-biochemical-vascular,
author = {Kennedy, Gwen and Khan, Faisel and Hill, Alexander and Underwood, Christine and Belch, Jill J F},
title = {Biochemical and vascular aspects of pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.157},
note = {PubMed: 20819963},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kennedy-2010-biochemical-vascular},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kennedy-2010-biochemical-vascular
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