만성피로증후군 머리가 아니라, 장(腸)이 문제이다.

만성피로증후군(CFS) 머리가 아니라 장(腸)이 문제이다.

 

 

미국 코넬대 분자생물학·유전체학·미생물학부 모린 핸슨 교수 팀은 만성피로증후군(CFS) 진단과

치료에 새로운 길을 열어줄 수 있는 연구 결과를 학술지 '미생물군'(microbiome) 최신호에 발표했다.

 

 

<사진;acsm-vu.nl>

 

연구팀이 CFS로 진단받은 환자 48명과 건강한 사람 39명의 대변과 혈액 샘플을 비교한 결과

CFS 환자들의 장내 미생물, 즉 세균(bacteria) 다양성이 줄어든 것으로 나타났다.

특히 항염증작용을 하는 세균이 크게 감소한 반면 염증성 세균은 많이 늘었다.

이 같은 장내 세균군 이상은 크론병이나 궤양성 대장염 등 염증성 장질환을 앓는

환자의 변에서 흔히 발견되는 것과 같다.

 

 

게다가 CFS 환자의 혈액에선 염증 지표(체내에 염증이 있을 때 증가하는 물질)들이 다량 발견됐다.

이는 장에 문제가 생기면서 세균이 장벽을 뚫고 혈액 속으로 들어오고

이로 인해 면역반응이 촉발돼 CFS 증상을 증폭시키기 때문인 것으로 볼 수 있다고 연구팀은 설명했다.

 

연구팀은 이처럼 변과 혈액에 나타난 징표들만을 이용해, CFS 환자 여부를 판단해보았더니

진단 정확도가 83%에 달했다고 밝혔다.

핸슨 교수는 아직은 장내 미생물 변화가 CFS의 원인인지 CFS로 인해

장내 미생물에 변화가 생긴 것인지를 규명하지는 못해 추가 연구를 할 예정이라고 밝혔다.

 

그러나 이번 연구결과는 매우 까다롭고 어려웠던 CFS 진단을 쉽고 빠르게 하는 방법의 개발에

중요한 도움을 줄 수 있으며, 나아가 향후 식이섬유나 유익균(probiotics) 처방 등이

유용한 치료법이 될 수도 있음을 시사한다고 강조했다.

 

 

 

 

Chronic fatigue syndrome is in your gut, not your head

June 27, 2016  Source: Cornell University

 

Physicians have been mystified by chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition where normal exertion leads to debilitating fatigue that isn't alleviated by rest. There are no known triggers, and diagnosis requires lengthy tests administered by an expert.

Now, for the first time, Cornell University researchers report they have identified biological markers of the disease in gut bacteria and inflammatory microbial agents in the blood.

In a study published June 23 in the journal Microbiome, the team describes how they correctly diagnosed myalgic encephalomyeletis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in 83 percent of patients through stool samples and blood work, offering a noninvasive diagnosis and a step toward understanding the cause of the disease.

"Our work demonstrates that the gut bacterial microbiome in chronic fatigue syndrome patients isn't normal, perhaps leading to gastrointestinal and inflammatory symptoms in victims of the disease," said Maureen Hanson, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell and the paper's senior author. "Furthermore, our detection of a biological abnormality provides further evidence against the ridiculous concept that the disease is psychological in origin."

"In the future, we could see this technique as a complement to other noninvasive diagnoses, but if we have a better idea of what is going on with these gut microbes and patients, maybe clinicians could consider changing diets, using prebiotics such as dietary fibers or probiotics to help treat the disease," said Ludovic Giloteaux, a postdoctoral researcher and first author of the study.

In the study, Ithaca campus researchers collaborated with Dr. Susan Levine, an ME/CFS specialist in New York City, who recruited 48 people diagnosed with ME/CFS and 39 healthy controls to provide stool and blood samples.

The researchers sequenced regions of microbial DNA from the stool samples to identify different types of bacteria. Overall, the diversity of types of bacteria was greatly reduced and there were fewer bacterial species known to be anti-inflammatory in ME/CFS patients compared with healthy people, an observation also seen in people with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

At the same time, the researchers discovered specific markers of inflammation in the blood, likely due to a leaky gut from intestinal problems that allow bacteria to enter the blood, Giloteaux said.

Bacteria in the blood will trigger an immune response, which could worsen symptoms.

The researchers have no evidence to distinguish whether the altered gut microbiome is a cause or a whether it is a consequence of disease, Giloteaux added.

In the future, the research team will look for evidence of viruses and fungi in the gut, to see whether one of these or an association of these along with bacteria may be causing or contributing to the illness.