Nunes, Massimo, Vlok, Mare, Proal, Amy et al. · Cardiovascular diabetology · 2024 · DOI
Researchers analyzed blood proteins in 15 ME/CFS patients and 10 healthy controls to look for differences that might explain ME/CFS symptoms. They found that ME/CFS patients had abnormal levels of proteins involved in blood clotting, blood vessel function, and immune system regulation. These findings suggest that problems with blood clotting and blood vessel health may play a role in ME/CFS.
This study provides molecular evidence supporting the hypothesis that coagulation dysfunction and endothelial pathology contribute to ME/CFS pathophysiology, potentially explaining symptoms like orthostatic intolerance and post-exertion malaise. Identifying specific dysregulated proteins offers concrete targets for future biomarker development and therapeutic intervention in ME/CFS.
This study identifies associations between protein levels and ME/CFS diagnosis but does not prove that these protein changes cause ME/CFS symptoms or drive disease progression. The small sample size limits generalizability, and the cross-sectional design cannot establish whether protein dysregulation precedes symptom onset or results from chronic illness. These findings require validation in larger, longitudinal studies and functional studies to establish causality.
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
Nunes, Massimo, Vlok, Mare, Proal, Amy, Kell, Douglas B, & Pretorius, Etheresia (2024). Data-independent LC-MS/MS analysis of ME/CFS plasma reveals a dysregulated coagulation system, endothelial dysfunction, downregulation of complement machinery.. Cardiovascular diabetology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12933-024-02315-x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-nunes-2024-data-independent,
author = {Nunes, Massimo and Vlok, Mare and Proal, Amy and Kell, Douglas B and Pretorius, Etheresia},
title = {Data-independent LC-MS/MS analysis of ME/CFS plasma reveals a dysregulated coagulation system, endothelial dysfunction, downregulation of complement machinery.},
journal = {Cardiovascular diabetology},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1186/s12933-024-02315-x},
note = {PubMed: 39014464},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nunes-2024-data-independent},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nunes-2024-data-independent
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