Natelson, Benjamin H, Haghighi, Mohammad H, Ponzio, Nicholas M · Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology · 2002 · DOI
This review article examines whether people with ME/CFS have problems with their immune system. The researchers looked at evidence from multiple studies and found signs that the immune system may not be working normally in people with this condition. This helps explain why ME/CFS causes such severe fatigue and other symptoms.
Establishing that immune dysfunction occurs in ME/CFS is critical for validating the biological basis of the disease and moving away from purely psychological explanations. This finding supports the urgent need for research into the specific immune mechanisms involved, which could eventually lead to diagnostic biomarkers and targeted treatments.
This review does not prove that immune dysfunction is the primary cause of ME/CFS or that correcting immune abnormalities will cure the condition. As a review article, it does not present new experimental data and cannot establish causation—the observed immune changes may be consequences of the illness rather than causes. The heterogeneity noted by the authors means findings may not apply uniformly to all ME/CFS patients.
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
Natelson, Benjamin H, Haghighi, Mohammad H, & Ponzio, Nicholas M (2002). Evidence for the presence of immune dysfunction in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology. https://doi.org/10.1128/cdli.9.4.747-752.2002
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-natelson-2002-evidence-presence,
author = {Natelson, Benjamin H and Haghighi, Mohammad H and Ponzio, Nicholas M},
title = {Evidence for the presence of immune dysfunction in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1128/cdli.9.4.747-752.2002},
note = {PubMed: 12093668},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/natelson-2002-evidence-presence},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/natelson-2002-evidence-presence
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.