Mantle, David, Domingo, Joan Carles, Golomb, Beatrice Alexandra et al. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2025 · DOI
This review examines four conditions—Gulf War Illness, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and long COVID—that share similar symptoms like fatigue, pain, and brain fog. Researchers found that these disorders may share common biological problems, particularly with how cells produce energy (mitochondria), manage stress, and control inflammation. The authors suggest that a supplement called CoQ10 might help because it supports cellular energy production and reduces harmful inflammation.
This review validates that ME/CFS shares fundamental biological abnormalities with other recognized conditions, potentially strengthening research funding and clinical recognition. Identifying a common mechanistic framework suggests that therapies addressing mitochondrial function and oxidative stress could benefit multiple patient populations, offering hope for a more unified therapeutic approach.
This review does not prove that CoQ10 supplementation is clinically effective in ME/CFS patients—it identifies biological rationale and reports preliminary findings, but robust clinical trials are needed. The review also does not establish that mitochondrial dysfunction is the primary cause of these disorders, only that it appears to be one of several overlapping pathological features.
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
Mantle, David, Domingo, Joan Carles, Golomb, Beatrice Alexandra, & Castro-Marrero, Jesús (2025). Gulf War Illness, Fibromyalgia, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID Overlap in Common Symptoms and Underlying Biological Mechanisms: Implications for Future Therapeutic Strategies.. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26189044
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-mantle-2025-gulf-war,
author = {Mantle, David and Domingo, Joan Carles and Golomb, Beatrice Alexandra and Castro-Marrero, Jesús},
title = {Gulf War Illness, Fibromyalgia, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID Overlap in Common Symptoms and Underlying Biological Mechanisms: Implications for Future Therapeutic Strategies.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/ijms26189044},
note = {PubMed: 41009608},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mantle-2025-gulf-war},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mantle-2025-gulf-war
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