ME/CFS Research Foundation Logo

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:

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

Not available.

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
Description:
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.
Research projects:
6
Publications:
2
Blood cell alterations
Description:
Changes in the appearance and functionality of blood cells. Includes alterations to the morphology as well as deformability of red blood cells.
Research projects:
3
Publications:
1
Immune system dysfunction
Description:
Diseases of the immune system are disorders caused by abnormal or absent immunologic mechanisms, whether humoral, cell-mediated, or both.
Research projects:
39
Publications:
59
Nervous system dysfunction
Description:
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.
Research projects:
16
Publications:
21
Cardiovascular system dysfunction
Description:
Cardiovascular diseases describe pathological conditions involving the cardiovascular system, including the heart, blood vessels or the pericardium.
Research projects:
26
Publications:
56
Vascular dysfunction
Description:
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.
Research projects:
7
Publications:
9