Matsunaga, K · Rinsho byori. The Japanese journal of clinical pathology · 1993
Researchers found that four patients with autoimmune diseases had high levels of anti-Ki antibodies, a type of immune marker. These patients shared several symptoms including hair loss, severe fatigue, muscle weakness, joint inflammation, dry mouth, and blood sugar problems. The study suggests that this antibody pattern may be related to conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
This study identifies a potential autoimmune mechanism (anti-Ki antibodies) that bridges lupus, sicca syndrome, and ME/CFS-like fatigue states. Understanding antibody-mediated pathways in ME/CFS could lead to targeted diagnostic tests and treatment strategies for severely fatigued patients.
This small case series does not establish that anti-Ki antibodies directly cause ME/CFS or prove a causal relationship between antibodies and fatigue. The study cannot confirm whether anti-Ki syndrome is a distinct disease entity or merely overlap between known autoimmune conditions. No longitudinal follow-up or untreated control comparisons are provided.
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
Matsunaga, K (1993). [The "anti-Ki" syndrome: major clinical features].. Rinsho byori. The Japanese journal of clinical pathology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8371504/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-matsunaga-1993-anti-syndrome,
author = {Matsunaga, K},
title = {[The "anti-Ki" syndrome: major clinical features].},
journal = {Rinsho byori. The Japanese journal of clinical pathology},
year = {1993},
note = {PubMed: 8371504},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/matsunaga-1993-anti-syndrome},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/matsunaga-1993-anti-syndrome
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