Gut bacteria could help diagnose long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome, researchers find
Bacteria in the gut could be the key to diagnosing chronic conditions
- Researchers have found that gut bacteria could aid in diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long Covid, conditions often difficult to identify due to a lack of specific tests.
- A study published in Nature Medicine utilised a new AI platform, BioMapAI, to analyse gut bacteria, immune responses, and metabolism from 249 individuals, achieving 90 per cent accuracy in distinguishing ME/CFS patients.
- The research revealed that individuals with chronic fatigue had lower levels of butyrate, a beneficial fatty acid, and other nutrients crucial for metabolism and energy.
- While immune cell analysis proved most accurate for predicting symptom severity, gut bacteria data helped predict emotional symptoms and sleep disturbances, indicating biological dysregulation.
- This breakthrough offers hope for developing precise diagnostic tools and treatments for ME/CFS, a condition affecting an estimated 404,000 people in the UK, with similar symptoms seen in many long Covid sufferers.