Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivanka, Kubera, Marta et al. · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2009
This study measured a marker of DNA damage in the urine of people with ME/CFS, depression, both conditions together, and healthy controls. Researchers found that people with both ME/CFS and depression had the highest levels of this DNA damage marker, and the damage correlated with fatigue severity and flu-like symptoms. This suggests that oxidative stress—a type of cellular damage from harmful molecules—may play a role in both conditions.
This study provides biochemical evidence that oxidative stress and DNA damage accompany ME/CFS, particularly in patients with concurrent depression. These findings support the hypothesis that inflammatory and oxidative pathways contribute to ME/CFS pathophysiology, potentially opening avenues for targeted antioxidant interventions. The link between oxidative damage and cardiovascular and neurological complications also has important prognostic implications for ME/CFS patients.
This study does not prove that oxidative DNA damage causes ME/CFS or depression—only that it is associated with these conditions. The cross-sectional design cannot establish whether elevated DNA damage precedes illness onset or results from it. Additionally, a single morning urine sample may not capture variability in oxidative stress over time, and findings may not generalize to all ME/CFS 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
Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivanka, Kubera, Marta, Uytterhoeven, Marc, Vrydags, Nicolas, & Bosmans, Eugene (2009). Increased 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine, a marker of oxidative damage to DNA, in major depression and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome.. Neuro endocrinology letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20035260/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-maes-2009-increased-hydroxy,
author = {Maes, Michael and Mihaylova, Ivanka and Kubera, Marta and Uytterhoeven, Marc and Vrydags, Nicolas and Bosmans, Eugene},
title = {Increased 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine, a marker of oxidative damage to DNA, in major depression and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Neuro endocrinology letters},
year = {2009},
note = {PubMed: 20035260},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2009-increased-hydroxy},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2009-increased-hydroxy
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