Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Leunis, Jean-Claude · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2006
This study found that people with ME/CFS have higher levels of immune antibodies (IgM) attacking damaged fats and proteins in their bodies. These antibodies target substances created when cells are damaged by oxidative stress—a harmful process where the body's natural defenses become imbalanced. The more severe someone's ME/CFS symptoms were, the higher their antibody levels tended to be.
This research provides potential biological evidence that oxidative and nitrosative stress—harmful chemical processes in cells—may play a role in ME/CFS pathophysiology. Finding measurable immune markers could eventually help explain ME/CFS mechanisms and potentially support development of biomarkers for diagnosis or monitoring disease progression.
This study does not establish whether oxidative damage is a cause or consequence of ME/CFS, nor does it prove these immune responses are pathogenic rather than a secondary reaction. The small cross-sectional design cannot demonstrate causality, and findings require replication in larger, independent cohorts before clinical application is warranted.
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
Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, & Leunis, Jean-Claude (2006). Chronic fatigue syndrome is accompanied by an IgM-related immune response directed against neopitopes formed by oxidative or nitrosative damage to lipids and proteins.. Neuro endocrinology letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17159817/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-maes-2006-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Maes, Michael and Mihaylova, Ivana and Leunis, Jean-Claude},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome is accompanied by an IgM-related immune response directed against neopitopes formed by oxidative or nitrosative damage to lipids and proteins.},
journal = {Neuro endocrinology letters},
year = {2006},
note = {PubMed: 17159817},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2006-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2006-chronic-fatigue
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