Patarca, R · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2001 · DOI
This study found that people with ME/CFS show signs of immune system activation (more active immune cells and elevated immune signaling molecules), yet paradoxically have weak immune function (poor natural killer cell activity and weak responses to infections). The immune system appears to be stuck in an imbalanced state, favoring certain types of inflammatory responses, which may relate to symptom cycles of improvement and worsening.
Understanding the immune dysfunction pattern in ME/CFS—the paradox of apparent activation with actual functional impairment—is critical for developing targeted therapies. This work helped frame immune dysregulation as a central disease mechanism rather than a secondary feature, opening avenues for immunological interventions.
This review does not establish whether immune abnormalities are a primary cause of ME/CFS, a consequence of the illness, or both. It also does not prove that manipulating cytokine patterns will improve patient outcomes, only that such intervention appears theoretically promising. The temporal relationship between immune changes and symptom cycles remains uncertain.
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
Patarca, R (2001). Cytokines and chronic fatigue syndrome.. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb05824.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-patarca-2001-cytokines-chronic,
author = {Patarca, R},
title = {Cytokines and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb05824.x},
note = {PubMed: 12000020},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/patarca-2001-cytokines-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/patarca-2001-cytokines-chronic
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