Meeus, Mira, Nijs, Jo, Hermans, Linda et al. · Expert opinion on therapeutic targets · 2013 · DOI
This study explores how damage to the energy-producing parts of cells (mitochondria) might explain why ME/CFS and fibromyalgia patients experience persistent pain and fatigue. When the body experiences oxidative stress, it produces harmful molecules that can damage mitochondria and reduce the energy (ATP) available to muscles and the brain. The researchers suggest that boosting antioxidants and repairing mitochondria could be promising treatments worth testing.
This study provides a mechanistic framework linking a measurable biological process (mitochondrial dysfunction) to the core symptoms of ME/CFS, which could guide development of targeted treatments. Understanding whether mitochondrial impairment is causal rather than secondary could shift clinical approaches from symptom management toward addressing underlying pathophysiology.
This review does not establish causation—it presents correlational evidence that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction co-occur with ME/CFS symptoms. The study does not provide direct evidence that these mechanisms cause pain and fatigue in humans, nor does it demonstrate that the proposed interventions (antioxidants, mitochondrial biogenesis targeting) are effective in patients. It remains unclear whether mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary driver or a secondary consequence of 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
Meeus, Mira, Nijs, Jo, Hermans, Linda, Goubert, Dorien, & Calders, Patrick (2013). The role of mitochondrial dysfunctions due to oxidative and nitrosative stress in the chronic pain or chronic fatigue syndromes and fibromyalgia patients: peripheral and central mechanisms as therapeutic targets?. Expert opinion on therapeutic targets. https://doi.org/10.1517/14728222.2013.818657
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-meeus-2013-role-mitochondrial,
author = {Meeus, Mira and Nijs, Jo and Hermans, Linda and Goubert, Dorien and Calders, Patrick},
title = {The role of mitochondrial dysfunctions due to oxidative and nitrosative stress in the chronic pain or chronic fatigue syndromes and fibromyalgia patients: peripheral and central mechanisms as therapeutic targets?},
journal = {Expert opinion on therapeutic targets},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1517/14728222.2013.818657},
note = {PubMed: 23834645},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/meeus-2013-role-mitochondrial},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/meeus-2013-role-mitochondrial
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.