Islam, Mareesa, Chang, Christopher, Gershwin, M Eric · Journal of translational autoimmunity · 2021 · DOI
This review article explains Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a group of inherited disorders that affect connective tissue in the body, causing symptoms like loose, stretchy skin and flexible joints. The authors describe the 13 different types of EDS, how doctors diagnose them, and how they're treated. While some forms of EDS involve inflammation, the exact mechanisms causing the disease are not fully understood.
This review is relevant to ME/CFS patients because EDS—particularly hypermobile EDS—is commonly comorbid with or misdiagnosed as ME/CFS, and both conditions involve connective tissue and immune dysfunction. Understanding the distinctions between EDS and ME/CFS helps clarify differential diagnosis and may inform treatment approaches for patients with overlapping symptoms. The article's discussion of immunologic mechanisms in EDS provides context for understanding how connective tissue disorders can contribute to systemic symptoms.
This narrative review does not provide original research data, experimental results, or quantitative evidence about disease mechanisms. It does not establish causal relationships between genetic variants and clinical features, nor does it measure the prevalence of comorbidity between EDS and ME/CFS or demonstrate therapeutic efficacy of any specific treatment. The inclusion of ME/CFS in the differential diagnosis list does not imply equivalence or shared pathophysiology between the conditions.
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