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 →
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