Association of peripheral inflammatory markers with chronic fatigue in a population-based sample

Abstract

Association of peripheral inflammatory markers with chronic fatigue in a population-based sample q Charles L. Raison a,*, Jin-Mann S. Lin b, William C. Reeves b a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1365C Clifton Road, Room 5004, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA b Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 26 June 2008 Received in revised form 25 November 2008 Accepted 26 November 2008 Available online 11 December 2008 Keywords: Chronic fatigue syndrome Unwellness Major depression Inflammation c-reactive protein Population-based a b s t r a c t Alterations in the innate immune response may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, studies have been limited by small sample sizes, use of patients from tertiary care settings, inappropriate selection of controls, and failure to control for confounding demographic, medical and behavioral factors independently associated with immune activity. It is also not known whether specific symptoms account for observed associations between CFS and the innate immune response. To address these limitations, the current study examined plasma concentrations of high-sensi- tivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), white blood cell count (WBC) and a combined inflammation factor in a large population-based sample. Log-transformed mean plasma concentrations of hs-CRP were increased in subjects with CFS (n = 102) and in subjects with unwellness symptoms that did not meet diagnostic cri- teria for CFS (defined as ‘‘insufficient fatigue” [ISF]) (n = 240) when compared to subjects who were well (n = 115). Log transformed WBC was increased in ISF and was increased at a trend level in CFS. The com- bined inflammation factor was increased in both CFS and ISF. Subjects with CFS and ISF did not differ on any of the inflammation measures. In the entire subject population, the physical component s

Key Biomarkers

Symptom Clusters