Chronic Fatigue — Clues in the Blood

Blood may be key to what occurs in the brain of those with chronic fatigue syndrome, say researchers at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney.

Study leader Andrew Lloyd, of the Center for Infection and Inflammation Research, studied the differences in gene expression patterns in the blood of people who either recover promptly after acute glandular fever or develop the prolonged illness called post-infective syndrome.

The researchers examined 6 million pieces of gene expression information for analysis in the project, known as the Dubbo Infection Outcomes Study. The study is named after the New South Wales town in which the work was conducted.

There are very few complex diseases which have been comprehensively analyzed, with large scale and longitudinal studies, like this, Lloyd said in a statement.

It sets a standard for highly sophisticated, comprehensive gene expression studies in the blood of all sorts of human diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis through to schizophrenia.

The findings are published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.