Researchers create potential diagnostic for chronic fatigue syndrome

A new study suggests that researchers have found a way to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, a disease that affects up to 2.5 million Americans but is still difficult to detect with a simple test. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and Stanford developed a diagnostic to test changes in electrical signals from immune cells in those with ME/CFS and those without the condition. The cells from those with ME/CFS showed a clear spike in electrical signals, indicating a heightened stress response. In contrast, the samples from the control group were fairly level. This diagnostic is still in development, but the “low-cost, rapid, miniaturized, minimally invasive, and highly sensitive” diagnostic could potentially be used in the research and clinical settings, the authors write.