Matsumoto, Y · Nihon Rinsho Men'eki Gakkai kaishi = Japanese journal of clinical immunology · 1999 · DOI
This study examined how the immune system functions differently in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy individuals. The researchers looked at various immune markers to understand what might be going wrong in the body during this illness. This type of research helps scientists figure out whether ME/CFS is caused by immune system problems.
Understanding the immune basis of ME/CFS is crucial for developing targeted treatments and validating the biological reality of the condition. This early mechanistic work helped establish that ME/CFS involves measurable immune system changes rather than being purely psychiatric in origin.
As a literature review without original data, this study does not prove that immune dysfunction is the primary cause of ME/CFS—it cannot establish causation, only document associations documented by others. It also does not provide diagnostic biomarkers or evidence that correcting identified immune abnormalities would cure the disease.
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
Matsumoto, Y (1999). [Immunological aspects of pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome].. Nihon Rinsho Men'eki Gakkai kaishi = Japanese journal of clinical immunology. https://doi.org/10.2177/jsci.22.111
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-matsumoto-1999-immunological-aspects,
author = {Matsumoto, Y},
title = {[Immunological aspects of pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome].},
journal = {Nihon Rinsho Men'eki Gakkai kaishi = Japanese journal of clinical immunology},
year = {1999},
doi = {10.2177/jsci.22.111},
note = {PubMed: 11126662},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/matsumoto-1999-immunological-aspects},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/matsumoto-1999-immunological-aspects
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