Rostami-Afshari, Bita, Elremaly, Wesam, McGregor, Neil R et al. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2025 · DOI
Researchers found that people with ME have lower levels of a kidney protein called SMPDL3B in their blood and urine compared to healthy people. This protein is important for keeping the kidney's filtering system working properly. The study also identified several metabolic imbalances in ME patients' blood that are linked to kidney problems. These findings suggest that kidney function may be affected in ME, and this protein could potentially be used as a simple blood test to help understand the disease.
This study provides the first evidence that ME may involve subclinical kidney dysfunction at the podocyte level—findings that could explain some ME symptoms and lead to new diagnostic tools. Identifying sex-specific metabolic differences opens avenues for personalized treatment approaches. Understanding these kidney-related mechanisms may help researchers develop more targeted therapies and better understand ME's multisystem effects.
This study does not prove that kidney dysfunction causes ME symptoms or that SMPDL3B abnormalities are the primary driver of the disease—only that an association exists. It cannot establish whether the observed kidney changes are a consequence of ME or a contributing cause. The small sample size and cross-sectional design mean findings require replication in larger, longitudinal studies before clinical application.
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
Rostami-Afshari, Bita, Elremaly, Wesam, McGregor, Neil R, Huang, Katherine Jin Kai, Armstrong, Christopher W, Franco, Anita, et al. (2025). Circulating Levels of SMPDL3B Define Metabolic Endophenotypes and Subclinical Kidney Alterations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26188882
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rostami-afshari-2025-circulating-levels,
author = {Rostami-Afshari, Bita and Elremaly, Wesam and McGregor, Neil R and Huang, Katherine Jin Kai and Armstrong, Christopher W and Franco, Anita and Godbout, Christian and Elbakry, Mohamed and Abdelli, Rim and Moreau, Alain},
title = {Circulating Levels of SMPDL3B Define Metabolic Endophenotypes and Subclinical Kidney Alterations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/ijms26188882},
note = {PubMed: 41009450},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rostami-afshari-2025-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/rostami-afshari-2025-circulating-levels
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.