Cytokines’ Levels in Plasma of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Description

Background and Aims: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex multisystem disease with such symptoms as profound fatigue, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, cognitive impairment, orthostatic intolerance, and pain. The cause of ME/CFS is currently unknown, but a combination of genetic and environmental factors appears to be relevant. Difficulties in detecting objective laboratory markers for ME/CFS diagnosis have
stimulated many researchers over the past 30 years, and with research onsistently suggesting immune system involvement, cytokine studies have been prominent in attempts to find objective biomarkers to separate ME/CFS from control samples and to stratify patients’ cohort. The aim of this study was to analyze cytokines levels in the plasma of patients with ME/CFS in comparison
to healthy individuals.
Methods: Detection of IL-2, IL-17, IL-6, IL-21, IL-23, TNF-α un IFN-γ levels in plasma samples of 107 ME/CFS patients and 46 healthy individuals was carried out using Luminex multiplex technology.
Results: Median concentrations of IL-2, IL-6, IL-21 in plasma samples of patients with ME/CFS and control group were as follows - IL-2: 5.83 and 26.50 pg/ml, IL-6: 0.95 pg/ml and 6.86 pg/ml, IL-21: 12.79 pg/ml and 38.79 pg/ml, respectively.
Conclusions: Significant differences are found in IL-2, IL-6, and IL-21 levels between patients with ME/CFS and healthy controls (p=0.0171; p=0.0027; p=0.05, respectively) allowing to use of them in the ME/CFS diagnostic algorithm.
Acknowledgments This research was funded in part by the Latvian Science Council’s Fundamental and Applied Research project Nr. LZP-2019/1- 0380, and by EU H2020 project Vira, No.952376.

Period	16 Mar 2023
Event title	7th International Congress on Controversies in Rheumatology & Autoimmunity
Event type	Conference
Conference number	7
Location	Turin, ItalyShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International