Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, De Ruyter, Marcel · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2005
This study compared hormone levels in people with ME/CFS to healthy controls. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had significantly lower levels of DHEAS (a hormone made by the adrenal glands), but normal levels of another hormone called IGF1. The low DHEAS was closely linked to markers of immune system activation and inflammation, suggesting this hormone imbalance may contribute to ME/CFS symptoms.
This study identifies a specific, measurable hormonal abnormality (low DHEAS) in ME/CFS that correlates with immune dysfunction and inflammation. These findings may eventually help explain why some ME/CFS patients experience immune dysregulation and could potentially guide future treatment strategies targeting DHEAS restoration.
This study does not prove that low DHEAS causes ME/CFS—only that the two are associated. The small sample size (20 patients) and cross-sectional design mean findings may not represent all ME/CFS patients and cannot establish whether DHEAS decline is a cause or consequence of the illness. No follow-up data demonstrate whether DHEAS supplementation would benefit patients.
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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