Value of Circulating Cytokine Profiling During Submaximal Exercise Testing in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a heterogeneous syndrome in which patients often experience severe fatigue and malaise following exertion. Immune and cardiovascular dysfunction have been postulated to play a role in the pathophysiology. We therefore, examined whether cytokine profiling or cardiovascular testing following exercise would differentiate patients with ME/CFS. Twenty-four ME/CFS patients were matched to 24 sedentary controls and underwent cardiovascular and circulating immune profiling. Cardiovascular analysis included echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise and endothelial function testing. Cytokine and growth factor profiles were analyzed using a 51-plex Luminex bead kit at baseline and 18 hours following exercise. Cardiac structure and exercise capacity were similar between groups. Sparse partial least square discriminant analyses of cytokine profiles 18 hours post exercise offered the most reliable discrimination between ME/CFS and controls (κ = 0.62(0.34,0.84)). The most discriminatory cytokines post exercise were CD40L, platelet activator inhibitor, interleukin 1-β, interferon-α and CXCL1. In conclusion, cytokine profiling following exercise may help differentiate patients with ME/CFS from sedentary controls.

A nanoelectronics-blood-based diagnostic biomarker for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)

“…myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome | diagnostic biomarker | nanoelectronics biosensor | artificial intelligence | machine learning M yalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/ CFS) is a disease that affects at least 2 million Americans and millions more globally (1)(2)(3). Several studies have found that this disease may be triggered by a combination of factors such as major life stressors, infection (viral: ENV, HHV-6, HHV-7, stomach viruses, cytomegalovirus, and bacterial infections), toxin exposure, immunodeficiency, nutritional deficiencies, genetic susceptibility, and several others (1,4,5).…”

“…In some instances, researchers have linked cytokine profiles and inflammation to the severity of ME/CFS in patients (4). One study examined cytokine profiles postexertion to explore potential differences in ME/CFS and sedentary controls (2). Others have focused on finding physiological anomalies by looking at exercise intolerance and cardiac impairment (2,22).…”

Peak Oxygen Uptake in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Meta-Analysis

“…This interaction between symptom severity and duration of illness has not been explored in the literature. Some studies have reported data on duration of illness [6,51] or stipulated an illness duration in their inclusion criteria [8,36,54], and others assessed fatigue severity [3,14,17,31] or symptom severity [8,22,35,42,50,51,54]. Only one study in this review reported data on both symptom severity and illness duration [51].…”

Cell-Based Blood Biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

“…Accordingly, molecular biomarkers have been pursued across multiple areas of research. For example, the role of the immune system in ME/CFS has been studied for decades, raising cytokines as potential biomarkers of disease [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] whose clinical utility would be aided by their accessibility in blood. Other cytokine studies have utilised cerebrospinal fluid [15,16], the acquisition of which is more invasive than drawing blood, and so could be less amenable to a routine diagnostic test.…”