Cytokine signature associated with disease severity in chronic fatigue syndrome patients
Jose G. Montoya, Tyson H. Holmes, Jill N. Anderson et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) · 2017 · DOI
Quick Summary
Stanford researchers measured 51 cytokines in 192 ME/CFS patients and 392 healthy controls. Seventeen cytokines were significantly elevated in ME/CFS, with TGF-beta most strongly associated with disease severity. More severe patients had higher cytokine levels, suggesting immune activation scales with illness burden.
Why It Matters
This is one of the largest cytokine studies in ME/CFS and provides strong evidence for immune dysregulation correlated with symptom severity. The dose-response relationship between cytokine levels and severity strengthens the biological case for immune involvement.
What This Study Does Not Prove
Elevated cytokines are a feature of many inflammatory conditions. This study cannot show whether cytokine dysregulation causes ME/CFS or is a secondary response to the illness.
Topics
Tags
Metadata
- DOI
- 10.1073/pnas.1710519114
- Case definition
- Fukuda 1994 Criteria
- Sample size
- 192 patients
- Control group
- Yes
- Review status
- Editor reviewed
- Evidence level
- Replicated human evidence from multiple independent studies
- Last updated
- 7 April 2026