A new study published in the Autonomic Disorders section of Frontiers in Neurology uses data collected by Solve to identify a possible ME/CFS disease subgroup.
“Do People with ME/CFS and Joint Hypermobility Represent a Disease Subgroup? An Analysis Using Registry Data,” by Kathleen Mudie, Allison Ramiller, Sadie Whittaker, Leslie E. Phillips is the first publication using data from Solve’s You+ME registry.
In this study of 815 individuals with ME/CFS, Solve researchers explored the connection between ME/CFS and joint hypermobility using Solve’s You+ME participant data platform, where patients report their health experiences. They found that some people with ME/CFS also have joint hypermobility, a condition in which the joints easily move beyond the normal range expected for a particular joint. In multiple domains, those with joint hypermobility experienced more severe ME/CFS symptoms, including worse physical function and more pain, highlighting a potential subgroup within ME/CFS patients that may benefit from special attention.
The findings from this study are crucial for several reasons:
Personalized Care:
Understanding that joint hypermobility may be correlated with the severity of ME/CFS means doctors might start looking for this condition more carefully, offering more personalized and effective treatment plans.
Improved Diagnosis:
This research points to the need for comprehensive assessments for ME/CFS patients, potentially leading to quicker and more accurate diagnoses for those with joint hypermobility.
Future Treatments:
By identifying subgroups within ME/CFS patients, researchers can target these groups in future studies, potentially leading to new, more precise, and effective treatments.
Interestingly, the COVID Symptom Study Biobank in the UK recently found that individuals with hypermobile joints are 30% more likely to experience a prolonged recovery from COVID-19, highlighting an additional association of joint hypermobility with infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses, such as Long Covid.
Transforming Your Data Into Clinical Breakthroughs with Solve Together
Your data is a unique and powerful tool that allows researchers to uncover subtle patterns and connections, offering hope for better understanding, diagnosing, and treating conditions like ME/CFS, Long Covid, and other infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses.
The You+ME platform has been upgraded to become the Solve Together Real-World Data (RWD) platform. Solve Together is not just a traditional registry, but a dynamic, patient-centered RWD platform that integrates multiple data sources designed to speed up the discovery of treatments and cures. We make data on infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses accessible to researchers, expediting the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Patients can create reports for their doctors, sync health-tracking wearables, and discern their distinct symptoms and health trends. Solve Together will also enable Solve to connect researchers with individuals interested in participating in clinical research studies.
Click here to learn more about and join Solve Together so you can contribute the RWD about yourself to help Solve drive future breakthroughs in post-infectious disease research.
