title: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Current Status and Future Potentials of Emerging Biomarkers.
abstract: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains an incompletely characterized illness, in part due to controversy regarding its definition, biological basis and diagnosis. Biomarkers are objective measures that may lead to improvements in our understanding of CFS by providing a more coherent and consistent approach to study, diagnosis and treatment of the illness. Such metrics may allow us to distinguish between CFS subtypes - each defined by characteristic biomarkers - currently conflated under the single, heterogeneous condition of CFS. These delineations, in turn, may guide more granular, focused, and targeted treatment strategies based on more precise characterizations of the illness. Here, we review potential CFS biomarkers related to neurological and immunological components of the illness, and discuss how these biomarkers may be used to move the field of CFS forward, emphasizing clinical utility and potential routes of future research.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA 02115.
authors.forename: David Benjamin
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA 02115.
authors.forename: Arsani Hany
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: William
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA 02115 ; Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03766.
authors.forename: Adam Campbell
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.affiliation: DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jason
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.
authors.forename: Gailen D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA 02115 ; Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114 ; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Jordan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Dimitrakoff