Borish, L, Schmaling, K, DiClementi, J D et al. · The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 1998 · DOI
This study looked at whether allergies and psychological factors play a role in ME/CFS. Researchers compared 18 people with ME/CFS to healthy controls, people with allergies, and people with depression. They found that people with ME/CFS had different immune molecules (called cytokines) in their blood compared to healthy people, similar to those with allergies. Interestingly, people with ME/CFS who also had certain psychological profiles showed different immune patterns, suggesting that both allergies and how the mind responds to them may contribute to ME/CFS in some patients.
This study provides evidence that ME/CFS may not be purely immunological or purely psychological, but rather arises from an interaction between both systems in genetically or psychologically predisposed individuals. Understanding these subgroups could help identify which patients might benefit from allergy management, immune-modulating therapies, or psychological interventions. The finding that most CFS patients were allergic suggests targeting allergies may be therapeutically relevant for some patients.
This study does not prove that allergies or psychological factors *cause* ME/CFS, only that they are associated with it. The observation that CFS symptoms worsen during allergy season does not establish whether allergic inflammation directly triggers symptoms or whether psychological interpretation of immune activation is primary. The small sample size (n=18) and cross-sectional design limit generalizability and preclude causal inference.
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 →
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