Tomic, Slavica, Brkic, Snezana, Lendak, Dajana et al. · Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2017 · DOI
This study looked at hormone levels in 40 women with ME/CFS compared to 40 healthy women to see if hormonal imbalances might explain ME/CFS symptoms. While standard hormone tests showed mostly normal results, researchers found that cortisol (a stress hormone) didn't follow its natural daily rhythm in ME/CFS patients the way it does in healthy people, and thyroid hormone T3 was lower in the ME/CFS group. The findings suggest that ME/CFS may involve subtle disruptions in how the body regulates these hormones over time.
This research supports the hypothesis that ME/CFS involves neuroendocrine dysfunction, which is a leading biological explanation for the condition. Identifying disrupted cortisol rhythms as a potential biomarker could improve diagnosis and help researchers develop targeted treatments. Understanding these hormonal patterns may also validate the biological basis of ME/CFS for patients and clinicians.
This study does not establish that hormonal imbalance causes ME/CFS—only that differences exist. It cannot determine whether hormone dysregulation is a primary driver of symptoms or a consequence of the illness. The cross-sectional design means researchers measured hormones at one point in time, so they cannot assess how these patterns change over the course of illness or treatment.
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
Tomic, Slavica, Brkic, Snezana, Lendak, Dajana, Maric, Daniela, Medic Stojanoska, Milica, & Novakov Mikic, Aleksandra (2017). Neuroendocrine disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Turkish journal of medical sciences. https://doi.org/10.3906/sag-1601-110
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-tomic-2017-neuroendocrine-disorder,
author = {Tomic, Slavica and Brkic, Snezana and Lendak, Dajana and Maric, Daniela and Medic Stojanoska, Milica and Novakov Mikic, Aleksandra},
title = {Neuroendocrine disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Turkish journal of medical sciences},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.3906/sag-1601-110},
note = {PubMed: 29154201},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tomic-2017-neuroendocrine-disorder},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tomic-2017-neuroendocrine-disorder
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