Study Finds Genes That Could Raise Risk of ME

Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people's genes affect their chances of developing ME/CFS, a mysterious and debilitating illness that has been neglected and dismissed for decades by many in the medical community.

- Ian Sample

Early findings from the world's largest study into the genetics of the condition pinpointed eight regions of the human genome that were substantially different in people with an ME/CFS diagnosis compared with those without the illness. The discovery suggests several variants of genes commonly found in the population raise the risk of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, though many people will carry the variants and never acquire the illness.

Prof Chris Ponting, an investigator on the DecodeME study at Edinburgh University, called the results "a wake-up call" which showed genetics could "tip the balance" on whether someone would develop ME/CFS.

"These provide the first robust evidence for genetic contributions to ME," Ponting said. "There are many genetic variants that apply across the genome that predispose people to be diagnosed with ME."

More research is needed to develop diagnostic tests or screening to identify people at high risk of ME/CFS. But scientists called the work a milestone that put the illness on an equal footing with other debilitating diseases, and opened potential avenues for treatments.