Melvin, A, Lacerda, E, Dockrell, H M et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2019 · DOI
This study measured a protein called GDF15 in the blood of ME/CFS patients and compared it to healthy people. GDF15 is released by cells when they are stressed or damaged. The researchers found that patients with severe ME/CFS had higher levels of GDF15 than healthy controls, and the levels of this protein were linked to how tired patients felt. The GDF15 levels stayed relatively stable over several months, suggesting it could be a useful marker for measuring cellular stress in ME/CFS.
ME/CFS lacks established biomarkers, making diagnosis challenging and disease tracking difficult. Identifying GDF15 as a potential biomarker that reflects disease severity could aid in objective disease assessment and monitoring. This finding suggests cellular stress mechanisms may underlie ME/CFS symptoms, opening new avenues for understanding the disease's biology and developing targeted treatments.
This study does not prove that GDF15 causes ME/CFS or post-exertional malaise—it only shows an association. The elevated GDF15 may be a consequence of ME/CFS rather than a cause. The study does not establish GDF15 as a diagnostic test or explain the mechanisms by which GDF15 contributes to symptoms.
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
Melvin, A, Lacerda, E, Dockrell, H M, O'Rahilly, S, & Nacul, L (2019). Circulating levels of GDF15 in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-019-02153-6
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-melvin-2019-circulating-levels,
author = {Melvin, A and Lacerda, E and Dockrell, H M and O'Rahilly, S and Nacul, L},
title = {Circulating levels of GDF15 in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1186/s12967-019-02153-6},
note = {PubMed: 31801546},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/melvin-2019-circulating-levels},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/melvin-2019-circulating-levels
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