United States: Individuals with ME – or chronic fatigue syndrome – differ significantly in their blood to healthy subjects, experts are indicating.
The researchers at the University of Edinburgh said their findings could lead to a diagnostic test, which would be a game changer.
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According to Prof Chris Ponting, “For so long, people with ME/CFS have been told it’s all in their head. It’s not. We see it in their blood.” BBC News reported.
Nevertheless, certain critics of the study told the researchers that they had exaggerated the importance of their findings.
The analysis involved the data of UK Biobank, a health database consisting of more than half a million people, compared the 1,455 people with ME/CFS to a group of 131,000 healthy people.
The study indicated that activity levels did not work significantly on the results.
. @BBCNews Chronic fatigue is not in your head, it's in your blood – experts (not an appropriate title)
— ME Association (@MEAssociation) June 20, 2025
Prof Chris Ponting said: "For so long people with ME/CFS have been told it's all in their head. It's not. We see it in their blood"."https://t.co/Qv13CJa5WD#pwME #MECFS…
According to the university team, the amount and regularity of the differences in the blood averages out over time, which substantiates their long-term plan to come up with a blood diagnostic test.
Furthermore, as per the researcher Dr Sjoerd Beentjes, “One thing that our evidence points at is that ME is very much a condition in the blood.” BBC News reported.
“Perhaps previously held perspectives are not quite the case. It is really not due to inactivity, and we hope that this helps with problems where individuals are disbelieved of their symptoms,” the expert noted.
ME is the acronym for myalgic encephalomyelitis, which is referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) as well.
The biggest biological study of ME/CFS that has ever been undertaken and which is estimated to affect 50,000 in Scotland, found there to be regular blood variations linked with chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and liver illness.
The hallmark of the disorder is post-exertional malaise (PEM) – the severe worsening of fatigue that follows a small physical or mental activity.
There are other symptoms that include pain, brain fog, and fatigue that fail to overcome even after rest.
The causes are unrecognized, and presently, there exists no diagnostic test or a cure.
Dr Beentjes also added that ME was a condition of a female bias where the ratio of patients was estimated to be 3:1.