Autoimmune disease

Autoimmune diseases arise from an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body (autoimmunity.)

Evidence for autoimmunity in ME and CFS
Samples from a large cohort (n=268) in Berlin and a smaller sample of patients treated with Rituximab (n=25) were measured against controls (n=168). Researchers found that antibodies against a neurotransmitter receptor were elevated in 29.5% of patients. Specifically, antibodies to ß2 adrenergic and M3 and M4 muscarinic cholinergic receptors, which are both G protein-coupled receptors (GCPRs). In patients receiving Rituximab, those who were responders had significantly lower levels of ß2 and M4 autoantibodies after treatment. The authors suggest that these autoantibodies could be biomarkers to those CFS patients most likely to respond to Rituximab treatment.