Abstract

A major hypothesis for the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is immune dysregulation, thought to reflect upregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to the symptoms characteristic of this illness. Because symptoms worsen with physical exertion or sleep loss, we hypothesized we could use these stressors to magnify underlying potential pathogenic abnormalities in the cytokine systems.

We conducted repeated blood sampling for cytokines from healthy subjects and CFS patients during a post-exercise and total sleep deprivation night, and assayed for protein in serum, message in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), and function in resting and stimulated PBLs.

We found that these environmental manipulations did not produce clinically significant upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These data do not support an important role for immune dysregulation in the genesis or stress-induced worsening of this illness.

Cytokines do not change after exercise or sleep deprivation in chronic fatigue syndrome, by T Nakamura et al in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 11 September 2013 2013 [Epub ahead of print].