Is your gut causing your fatigue?

Many autoimmune disease patients experience chronic fatigue. Yet this aspect of the disease is often overlooked by physicians because there are no biomarkers to measure fatigue and no treatment that effectively alleviates symptoms. Recently, however, scientists have identified differences between the gut biomes of healthy individuals and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

In the study, scientists found that patients with chronic fatigue had abnormally low levels of gut bacteria Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Eubacterium rectale. These bacteria produce a metabolite called butyrate, which provides energy for cells that line the gut, supporting the gut immune system and protecting against digestive diseases.

Researchers also found that patients with CFS/ME had increased levels of 9 other species of bacteria, including Enterocloster bolteae and Ruminococcus gnavus, which have been previously shown to be associated with autoimmune diseases and inflammatory bowel disease. This may be unsurprising for the many autoimmune disease patients who experience prolonged fatigue and digestive issues.

Identifying these biomarkers is significant because they allow for more objective and consistent diagnoses of CFS/ME and open up potential targets for the treatment of fatigue. From a data perspective, it would also be interesting to explore how many autoimmune disease patients experience chronic fatigue and inflammatory bowel disease, and how many of those patients have the biomarkers for CFS/ME.

Please join the Autoimmune Registry to help us collect more data on autoimmune diseases. With your help, we can drive forward patient-powered research for all autoimmune diseases. Donations are also greatly appreciated!