Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Evidence for an autoimmune disease
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Date
2018
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Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a frequent and severe chronic disease drastically
impairing life quality. The underlying pathomechanismis incompletely understood yet but there is convincing
evidence that in at least a subset of patients ME/CFS has an autoimmune etiology. In this review, we will
discuss current autoimmune aspects forME/CFS. Immune dysregulation inME/CFS has been frequently described
including changes in cytokine profiles and immunoglobulin levels, T- and B-cell phenotype and a decrease of natural
killer cell cytotoxicity.Moreover, autoantibodies against various antigens including neurotransmitter receptors
have been recently identified in ME/CFS individuals by several groups. Consistently, clinical trials from
Norway have shown that B-cell depletion with rituximab results in clinical benefits in about half of ME/CFS patients.
Furthermore, recent studies have provided evidence for severemetabolic disturbances presumably mediated
by serum autoantibodies in ME/CFS. Therefore, further efforts are required to delineate the role of
autoantibodies in the onset and pathomechanisms of ME/CFS in order to better understand and properly treat
this disease.
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Keywords
Autoimmune, Biomarker, Myalgic Encephalomyeliti, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Autoantibodies