Maes, Michael · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2015
This study looked at whether ME/CFS could be better understood by examining specific blood markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune activation. Researchers found two distinct groups of people with chronic fatigue—one group had significantly higher levels of problematic immune markers and inflammatory signs. The study proposes a new way to identify ME/CFS based on fatigue plus at least four of these symptoms: muscle tension, memory problems, sleep issues, digestive problems, headaches, or flu-like feelings.
This research attempts to move beyond subjective symptom-based criteria toward biological validation of ME/CFS, potentially enabling more objective diagnosis and targeted treatment. Identifying distinct immune and oxidative stress signatures could guide personalized therapeutic approaches and clarify disease heterogeneity.
This study does not prove that the proposed NIOF biomarkers cause ME/CFS symptoms or that they are specific to ME/CFS. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, temporal relationships, or whether these markers change with disease progression or treatment. Results require independent replication and prospective validation before clinical implementation.
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 (2015). A new case definition of Neuro-Inflammatory and Oxidative Fatigue (NIOF), a neuroprogressive disorder, formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: results of multivariate pattern recognition methods and external validation by neuro-immune biomarkers.. Neuro endocrinology letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26454487/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-maes-2015-new-case,
author = {Maes, Michael},
title = {A new case definition of Neuro-Inflammatory and Oxidative Fatigue (NIOF), a neuroprogressive disorder, formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: results of multivariate pattern recognition methods and external validation by neuro-immune biomarkers.},
journal = {Neuro endocrinology letters},
year = {2015},
note = {PubMed: 26454487},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2015-new-case},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2015-new-case
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