Marathe, Chinmay S, Torpy, David J · Expert review of endocrinology & metabolism · 2012 · DOI
This review examines how genetic variations in a protein called corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) may influence whether someone develops ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, or chronic pain. CBG helps transport cortisol (the body's stress hormone) in the blood, and when this protein doesn't work properly, it may affect how the body responds to stress. The researchers looked at evidence from genetic studies and animal models suggesting that inherited differences in the CBG gene could increase someone's risk of developing these stress-related conditions.
Understanding genetic risk factors in CBG could help explain why some people develop ME/CFS while others don't, and may eventually lead to better diagnostic tests or treatments. This research suggests that stress hormone dysfunction in ME/CFS and related conditions may have an inherited genetic component, validating patients' experiences of altered stress responses and opening new avenues for precision medicine approaches.
This review does not prove that CBG gene variants cause ME/CFS—it identifies associations and plausible mechanisms that require experimental and clinical validation. The evidence is mostly from rare mutations and animal models, so it does not establish whether common CBG polymorphisms actually increase disease risk in real patient populations. Correlation between CBG variants and HPA axis dysfunction does not necessarily prove causation in disease development.
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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