The UK scientists have discovered a different genetic profile characterized by DNA variations in the immune system of patients grappling with ME/chronic fatigue syndrome in a groundbreaking latest study.
In the project, the researchers from the Edinburgh university assessed DNA from 15,500 people with syndrome belonging to eight different small regions.
As the result of thorough analysis, the team found the different genes associated with the debilitating disease and referred to them as “genetic signals” of the condition.
The breakthrough suggests that populations that possess these variants of genes are more susceptible to developing the chronic illness.
Professor Chris Ponting, an investigator on the DecodeMEStudy at the University of Edinburgh, dubbed the results “a wake-up call,” exhibiting how a person’s genetic profile could change on the onset of ME/CFS.
“They provide the first robust evidence for genetic contributions to ME. There are many genetic variants that apply across the genome that predispose people to be diagnosed with ME,” Ponting added.
These potential findings could pave the way for diagnostic tests for often-neglected disease of prolonged exhaustion.
According to estimation, 67 million people globally are suffering from this illness called myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS. Unfortunately, most of the doctors do not consider it as a real illness.
Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of charity Action for ME, praised the results as “groundbreaking.” “We have gone from knowing next to nothing about the causes of ME/CFS to giving researchers clear targets.”