Syed, Abu Mohammad, Karius, Alexander K, Ma, Jin et al. · Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025 · DOI
This review examines how mitochondria—the parts of cells that produce energy—may not be working properly in ME/CFS patients. The authors suggest that problems with energy production in cells could explain why people with ME/CFS feel severely exhausted after physical activity. They also note that similar energy problems appear in long COVID, which suggests both conditions may share a common underlying cause.
Understanding mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS is crucial because it offers a potential biological explanation for the debilitating fatigue and post-exertional malaise that characterize the illness, potentially opening new avenues for diagnosis and treatment. The connection between ME/CFS and long COVID mitochondrial dysfunction suggests findings in one condition may inform research and therapeutic strategies in the other, affecting millions of patients globally.
As a review article, this study does not present new experimental evidence and cannot definitively prove that mitochondrial dysfunction causes ME/CFS—only that evidence suggests an association. The review cannot establish whether mitochondrial problems are a primary cause, a secondary consequence of illness, or one of multiple contributing factors. Individual studies cited may show correlation rather than causation, and findings in cell cultures or animal models may not fully translate to human ME/CFS patients.
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
Syed, Abu Mohammad, Karius, Alexander K, Ma, Jin, Wang, Ping-Yuan, & Hwang, Paul M (2025). Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Physiology (Bethesda, Md.). https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00056.2024
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-syed-2025-mitochondrial-dysfunction,
author = {Syed, Abu Mohammad and Karius, Alexander K and Ma, Jin and Wang, Ping-Yuan and Hwang, Paul M},
title = {Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Physiology (Bethesda, Md.)},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1152/physiol.00056.2024},
note = {PubMed: 39960432},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/syed-2025-mitochondrial-dysfunction},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/syed-2025-mitochondrial-dysfunction
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