ArticleJournal of translational medicine2019
Circulating levels of GDF15 in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of the neuroprotective role and biomarker potential of GDF15 in neurodegeneration.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Pooled it
- Biomarkers for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a systematic review.BMC medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Associations Between Psychological and Immunological Variables in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Plasma GDF15 increases during hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in humans with post-bariatric hypoglycemia and after insulin exposure in mice.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Observational
- Charting the circulating proteome in ME/CFS using cross-system profiling to uncover mechanistic insights.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
- Serum GDF15 as a supportive biomarker in female fibromyalgia patients based on a prospective case-control study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The brain-body energy conservation model of aging.Nature aging · 2024Review
- Article
- Mycoplasma fermentans infection induces human necrotic neuronal cell death via IFITM3-mediated amyloid-β (1-42) deposition.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Mitochondrial stress-induced GFRAL signaling controls diurnal food intake and anxiety-like behavior.Life science alliance · 2022Article
- The Cytokine Growth Differentiation Factor-15 and Skeletal Muscle Health: Portrait of an Emerging Widely Applicable Disease Biomarker.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Herpesviruses Serology Distinguishes Different Subgroups of Patients From the United Kingdom Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Biobank.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- The Role of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 in Energy Metabolism.Diabetes & metabolism journal · 2020Review
- Prognostic Value of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 in Kidney Donors and Recipients.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
- Analysis of Epigenetic Age Predictors in Pain-Related Conditions.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMyalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating condition characterised by fatigue and post-exertional malaise. Its pathogenesis is poorly understood. GDF15 is a circulating protein secreted by cells in response to a variety of stressors. The receptor for GDF15 is expressed in the brain, where its activation results in a range of responses. Among the conditions in which circulating GDF15 levels are highly elevated are mitochondrial disorders, where early skeletal muscle fatigue is a key symptom. We hypothesised that GDF15 may represent a marker of cellular stress in ME/CFS.
methodsGDF15 was measured in serum from patients with ME/CFS (n = 150; 100 with mild/moderate and 50 with severe symptoms), "healthy volunteers" (n = 150) and a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 50).
resultsCirculating GDF15 remained stable in a subset of ME/CFS patients when sampled on two occasions ~ 7 months (IQR 6.7-8.8) apart, 720 pg/ml (95% CI 625-816) vs 670 pg/ml (95% CI 598-796), P = 0.5. GDF15 levels were 491 pg/ml in controls (95% CI 429-553), 546 pg/ml (95% CI 478-614) in MS patients, 560 pg/ml (95% CI 502-617) in mild/moderate ME/CFS patients and 602 pg/ml (95% CI 531-674) in severely affected ME/CFS patients. Accounting for potential confounders, severely affected ME/CFS patients had GDF15 concentrations that were significantly increased compared to healthy controls (P = 0.01). GDF15 levels were positively correlated (P = 0.026) with fatigue scores in ME/CFS.
conclusionsSevere ME/CFS is associated with increased levels of GDF15, a circulating biomarker of cellular stress that appears which stable over several months.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.