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 →
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