E2 ModerateCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional
Spinal fluid abnormalities in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Natelson, Benjamin H, Weaver, Shelley A, Tseng, Chin-Lin et al.·Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology·2005
Researchers performed spinal taps on 44 ME/CFS patients and 13 healthy people to look for signs of brain inflammation. They found that 30% of ME/CFS patients had abnormal levels of white blood cells or proteins in their spinal fluid, compared to none in the healthy group. They also found that certain immune molecules were different in ME/CFS patients, particularly in those with sudden flu-like symptom onset. These results suggest that ME/CFS may involve real physical changes in the nervous system, not just psychological factors.
Immune SystemNeuroinflammation