Abstract
BackgroundMyalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a complex and debilitating disease that often initially presents with flu-like symptoms, accompanied by incapacitating fatigue. Currently, there are no objective biomarkers or laboratory tests that can be used to unequivocally diagnosis ME; therefore, a diagnosis is made when a patient meets series of a costly and subjective inclusion and exclusion criteria. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the utility of four clinical parameters in diagnosing ME.MethodsIn the present study, we utilized logistic regression and classification and regression tree analysis to conduct a retrospective investigation of four clinical laboratory in 140 ME cases and 140 healthy controls.ResultsCorrelations between the covariates ranged between [− 0.26, 0.61]. The best model included the serum levels of the soluble form of CD14 (sCD14), serum levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and serum levels of interleukin 8, with coefficients 0.002, 0.249, and 0.005, respectively, and p-values of 3 × 10−7, 1 × 10−5, and 3 × 10−3, respectively.ConclusionsOur findings show that these parameters may help physicians in their diagnosis of ME and may additionally shed light on the pathophysiology of this disease.
Highlights
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a complex and debilitating disease that often initially presents with flu-like symptoms, accompanied by incapacitating fatigue
With the exception of perhaps exercise intolerance and general inflammation, no ubiquitous physical symptoms or diagnostic biomarkers have been identified; a diagnosis is primarily based on meeting a number of inclusion and exclusion criteria [11, 12]
We investigated four immunological parameters that were chosen based on the following rationale: Subjects with ME are often characterized by coinfections; we analyzed the chemotactic factor interlerukin-8 (IL-8), which is produced by macrophages and, to a lesser extent, by other cells in response to infection
Summary
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a complex and debilitating disease that often initially presents with flu-like symptoms, accompanied by incapacitating fatigue. Myalgic encephalomyelitis is a heterogeneous illness often characterized by a number of physical symptoms and comorbid conditions such as systemic inflammation, neurocognitive abnormalities, innate immune activation, and gastrointestinal issues [1]. With the exception of perhaps exercise intolerance and general inflammation, no ubiquitous physical symptoms or diagnostic biomarkers have been identified; a diagnosis is primarily based on meeting a number of inclusion and exclusion criteria [11, 12]. ME is often considered a “heterogenous” disease and this limitation has hindered the identification of nonsubjective biomarkers [13] Compounding this issue, current research suggests that previously described potential biomarkers, such as cytokines, De Meirleir et al J Transl Med (2018) 16:322 change over time [14] and may vary depending on illness duration [15] and severity [16]
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