Kuratsune, H, Yamaguti, K, Sawada, M et al. · International journal of molecular medicine · 1998 · DOI
This study found that most ME/CFS patients in Japan had lower-than-normal levels of a hormone called DHEA-S, which is made by the adrenal glands. DHEA-S helps regulate mood, memory, stress response, sleep, and anxiety. The researchers suggest that low DHEA-S levels might explain some of the brain-related symptoms ME/CFS patients experience, like depression and cognitive problems.
This research provides a potential biological explanation for the depression, anxiety, cognitive dysfunction, and sleep disturbances commonly reported by ME/CFS patients. If DHEA-S deficiency is confirmed as pathogenic in larger studies, it could lead to targeted hormonal interventions and validate the role of endocrine dysfunction in ME/CFS pathogenesis.
This study does not prove that DHEA-S deficiency causes ME/CFS symptoms—it only shows an association. It does not establish whether low DHEA-S is a primary driver of disease, a secondary consequence of CFS, or an epiphenomenon. The findings are limited to a Japanese population and may not generalize globally. Additionally, single-timepoint hormone measurements do not clarify whether deficiency is persistent or fluctuating.
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
Kuratsune, H, Yamaguti, K, Sawada, M, Kodate, S, Machii, T, Kanakura, Y, et al. (1998). Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate deficiency in chronic fatigue syndrome.. International journal of molecular medicine. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.1.1.143
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kuratsune-1998-dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate,
author = {Kuratsune, H and Yamaguti, K and Sawada, M and Kodate, S and Machii, T and Kanakura, Y and Kitani, T},
title = {Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate deficiency in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {International journal of molecular medicine},
year = {1998},
doi = {10.3892/ijmm.1.1.143},
note = {PubMed: 9852212},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kuratsune-1998-dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kuratsune-1998-dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate
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