Unravelling the nature of postexertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of elastase, complement C4a and interleukin-1beta.
Nijs, J, Van Oosterwijck, J, Meeus, M et al.·Journal of internal medicine·2010
This study looked at what happens in the blood after people with ME/CFS exercise. Researchers compared 22 women with ME/CFS to 22 healthy women and measured specific immune markers (elastase, IL-1beta, and complement C4a) before and after two different types of exercise. Both types of exercise triggered postexertional malaise (a worsening of symptoms after activity) in the ME/CFS group, but surprisingly, the immune markers they measured didn't show significant changes in either group.