In our “What’s New in ME/CFS?” series, we spotlight researchers transforming what we know about this disease.
Recently, we spoke with Dr. Per Sjögren and Dr. Bo Bertilson, Associate Professors at Bragée Clinics and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. With deep roots in both clinical care and research, their message to the field is clear: if we want breakthroughs in ME/CFS, we have to start by acknowledging how different patients’ experiences of this illness really are.
“One of our take-home messages is that everybody working in the field should acknowledge the heterogeneity within the patient population. In the last year, we’ve noted an increased interest in the non-infectious contribution to the condition — which is in line with our clinical and research experience.”
— Dr. Per Sjögren, Associate Professor, Bragée Clinics & Karolinska Institute
In this conversation, Dr. Sjögren and Dr. Bertilson share:
- Why understanding heterogeneity within ME/CFS is the key to designing effective clinical trials and treatments
- How non-infectious contributors like hypermobility, spinal obstructions, and cerebrospinal fluid flow are reshaping how clinicians think about this illness
- What new tools like proteomics, metabolomics, and functional MRI may reveal about ME/CFS subtypes
- Why building large patient registries with long-term follow-up may be the single most important step toward precision medicine
- Why there are likely millions of undiagnosed ME/CFS patients worldwide — hidden behind other diagnoses
Watch the full interview here.