Research projects

Healthy Control Population für PAIS-ME/CFS (HelP)

About

Status:

Ongoing

Principal investigator:

Country:

Germany

Study start:

2024-12

Completion (planned):

2029-12

Last update:

2025-07-29

Research types:

Epidemiological research

Research areas:

Hemic and lymphatic system dysfunction, Immune system dysfunction, Nervous system dysfunction, Cardiovascular system dysfunction

Interventions:

Not available

Priv. Sector Partner:

Not available

Sponsors:

ME/CFS Research Foundation

Links

Project website

Project description

Post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS) and ME/CFS are complex systemic diseases, the diagnosis of which presents a significant challenge given the lack of biomarkers and limited healthcare resources. A sufficiently broad differential diagnosis is still necessary to exclude other diseases with similar symptoms or to distinguish them as comorbidities.

Various potential pathomechanisms are currently being discussed and investigated. These include, among others, changes in the biomechanical properties of blood cells, alterations in the cellular and humoral immune status, vascular abnormalities, and dysregulation of various components of the nervous system. The analysis of these processes in patients with PAIS and/or ME/CFS as well as healthy controls is intended to improve the understanding of these diseases, enable an objective diagnosis, and open up new treatment options.

The aim of the Healthy Control Population für PAIS-ME/CFS (HelP) study, coordinated at the Munich Chronic Fatigue Center for Young People (MCFC), is to recruit a cohort of healthy children, adolescents, and young adults up to the age of 25 and to examine them using various established and innovative methods of investigation. This will enable comparative analyses of patients and healthy individuals of the same age, thus identifying potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of PAIS and ME/CFS. The control samples obtained in the project are also available to research projects of other working groups in Germany and internationally.

Description adapted from project website: see link above.

Patient cohort

Healthy controls.

Patients enrolled: Not available

Age group: 0 - 25 years (Children, Adults)

Research areas

6

Research types

1

Research networks

0

Working groups

1

People

1

Publications

0

Organisations

2

Research areas

Hemic and lymphatic system dysfunction

Hemic diseases include disorders involving the formed elements (e.g., erythrocyte aggregation, intravascular) and chemical components (e.g. blood protein disorders). Lymphatic diseases include disorders relating to lymph, lymph nodes, and lymphocytes.

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Blood cell alterations

Changes in the appearance and functionality of blood cells. Includes alterations to the morphology as well as deformability of red blood cells.

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Immune system dysfunction

Diseases of the immune system are disorders caused by abnormal or absent immunologic mechanisms, whether humoral, cell-mediated, or both.

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Nervous system dysfunction

Diseases of the nervous system include diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. This includes disorders of the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscle.

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Cardiovascular system dysfunction

Cardiovascular diseases describe pathological conditions involving the cardiovascular system, including the heart, blood vessels or the pericardium.

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Vascular dysfunction

Vascular dysfunction, which includes endothelial dysfunction, microvascular dysfunction, and stiffening of large arteries, results when the homeostatic function of relaxation and contraction of blood vessels is affected.

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