Nishi, Kensuke, Yoshimoto, Shohei, Nishi, Soichiro et al. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2022 · DOI
This study looked at a Japanese treatment called Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy (EAT) that targets chronic inflammation in the epipharynx (the area behind your nasal cavity). The researchers found that patients who received EAT had significantly lower levels of IL-6, a key inflammatory molecule linked to ME/CFS symptoms, compared to those who didn't receive the treatment. This suggests that reducing inflammation in this specific area might help improve systemic symptoms in ME/CFS and similar conditions.
This study provides preliminary mechanistic evidence that local epipharyngeal inflammation may contribute to systemic inflammatory burden in ME/CFS, and identifies a potential therapeutic target. Understanding whether treating localized inflammation in the epipharynx can reduce systemic cytokine levels could open new avenues for treating ME/CFS, particularly given the emerging hypothesis linking upper respiratory tract inflammation to post-viral systemic disease.
This study does not prove that epipharyngeal inflammation is the primary cause of ME/CFS, nor does it establish that EAT is an effective clinical treatment for ME/CFS itself—it only shows reduced IL-6 expression in treated tissue. The study lacks clinical outcome measures, so it cannot demonstrate whether IL-6 reduction correlates with symptom improvement in ME/CFS patients. Correlation between local and systemic inflammation is inferred but not directly measured.
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 →
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