A new study conducted by researchers at the King's College of London has revealed that overactive immune system could trigger the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic encephalomyelitis.
During the research, scientists at King's college studied 55 patients of Hepatitis C. Later, they were given a drug that causes a similar response to the virus. The team noticed that eighteen of these patients, who had an overactive immune system, developed chronic fatigue syndrome.
"For the first time, we have shown that people who are prone to develop a CFS-like illness have an overactive immune system, both before and during a challenge to the immune system. Our findings suggest that people who have an exaggerated immune response to a trigger may be more at risk of developing CFS," said Alice Russell, who works at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and the lead author of the study, Reuters reported.
Carmine Pariante, a senior researcher, who took part in the study, revealed that this finding will be quite crucial in identifying people who are at risk and thus catching the illness at its crucial stages.
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is an incurable disease and the only way to control it is by managing the condition. Charles Shepherd, the medical advisor of ME Association said that the new research report "adds to the growing weight of scientific evidence which indicates that the body's immune system is playing an important role in the causation of ME/CFS."
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by extreme fatigue that could not be explained by any underlying medical condition. The exact causes of chronic fatigue symptoms are unknown, but experts believe it could be triggered by a combination of factors including viral infections and psychological stress.
