Sweetman, Eiren, Ryan, Margaret, Edgar, Christina et al. · International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology · 2019 · DOI
Researchers studied blood immune cells from 10 ME/CFS patients and 10 healthy people to understand what's different at the genetic level. They found that several genes related to inflammation were more active in ME/CFS patients, and genes related to energy production and circadian rhythms (your body's internal clock) showed abnormal patterns. These findings suggest ME/CFS involves multiple biological systems working incorrectly at the same time.
This study identifies specific molecular abnormalities in ME/CFS immune cells, providing biological evidence that ME/CFS involves real, measurable changes in gene expression. These findings support the recognition of ME/CFS as an organic disease with identifiable biological markers, potentially advancing diagnosis and treatment development.
This study does not prove that these gene expression changes cause ME/CFS—they may be consequences of the illness rather than causes. The small sample size (20 participants total) means findings require replication in larger, more diverse populations before they can be considered definitive. The study also cannot determine whether these changes are temporary, reversible, or stable over time.
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
Sweetman, Eiren, Ryan, Margaret, Edgar, Christina, MacKay, Angus, Vallings, Rosamund, & Tate, Warren (2019). Changes in the transcriptome of circulating immune cells of a New Zealand cohort with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.. International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1177/2058738418820402
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sweetman-2019-changes-transcriptome,
author = {Sweetman, Eiren and Ryan, Margaret and Edgar, Christina and MacKay, Angus and Vallings, Rosamund and Tate, Warren},
title = {Changes in the transcriptome of circulating immune cells of a New Zealand cohort with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1177/2058738418820402},
note = {PubMed: 30791746},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sweetman-2019-changes-transcriptome},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sweetman-2019-changes-transcriptome
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