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Query: UMLS:C0015674 (chronic fatigue syndrome)
 2,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an illness characterized by persistent and relapsing fatigue, often accompanied by numerous symptoms involving various systems of whole body. The etiology of CFS remains unclear. Literature reported whether the concentrations of the essential fatty acids in red cell membranes of CFS patients were decreased is controversial. In our study, Forty-two patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria defined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thirty-seven age- and sex-matched controls were selected from healthy medical staffs and volunteers. After lipid analysis, we found that the levels of the arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) were decreased in patients suffered from CFS. However, the levels of the palmitic acid and oleic acid were increased. We speculated that there are two possible mechanisms--one of which is that oxidative stress has led to an excessive oxidation and resulting in the above fatty acids. Alternatively, insufficiency of ingestion of fatty acids might not be the major cause.
Nutr Neurosci 2003 Dec
PMID:Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. 1568 53

To assess the involvement of serotonin in the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, we investigated the serotonergic neurotransmitter system of chronic fatigue syndrome patients by the positron emission tomography (PET). Here we show that the density of serotonin transporters (5-HTTs) in the brain, as determined by using a radiotracer, [C](+)McN5652, was significantly reduced in the rostral subdivision of the anterior cingulate as compared with that in normal volunteers. This subdivision is different from that in the dorsal anterior cingulate in which binding potential values of individual patient showed a weak negative correlation with self-reported pain score of the patients. Therefore, an alteration of serotonergic system in the rostral anterior cingulate plays a key role in pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Neuroreport 2004 Dec 03
PMID:Reduction of serotonin transporters of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. 1557 Jan 54

Little is known about whether the incidence of symptoms of fatigue presented in primary care, and the consequent diagnoses made, change over time. The UK General Practice Research Database was used to investigate the annual incidence of both fatigue symptoms and diagnoses recorded in UK primary care from 1990 to 2001. The overall incidence of all fatigue diagnoses decreased from 87 per 100 000 patients in 1990 to 49 in 2001, a reduction of 44%, while postviral fatigue syndromes decreased from 81% of all fatigue diagnoses in 1990 to 60% in 2001. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) together increased from 9% to 26% of all fatigue diagnoses. The incidence of fibromyalgia increased from less than 1 per 100 000 to 35 per 100 000. In contrast, there was no consistent change in the incidence of all recorded symptoms of fatigue, with an average of 1503 per 100 000, equivalent to 1.5% per year. CFS/ME and fibromyalgia were rarely diagnosed in children and were uncommon in the elderly. All symptoms and diagnoses were more common in females than in males. The overall incidence of fatigue diagnoses in general has fallen, but the incidence rates of the specific diagnoses of CFS/ME and fibromyalgia have risen, against a background of little change in symptom reporting. This is likely to reflect fashions in diagnostic labelling rather than true changes in incidence.
J R Soc Med 2004 Dec
PMID:Incidence of fatigue symptoms and diagnoses presenting in UK primary care from 1990 to 2001. 1573 64

Without specific etiology or effective treatment, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains a contentious diagnosis. Individuals with CFS complain of fatigue and poor sleep--symptoms that are often attributed to psychological disturbance. To assess the nature and prevalence of sleep disturbance in CFS and to investigate the widely presumed presence of psychological maladjustment we examined sleep quality, sleep disorders, physical health, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and psychological adjustment in three samples. individuals with CFS; a healthy control group; and individuals with a definite medical diagnosis: narcolepsy. Outcome measures included physiological evaluation (polysomnography), medical diagnosis, structured interview, and self-report measures. Results indicate that the CFS sample had a very high incidence (58%) of previously undiagnosed primary sleep disorder such as sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome and restless legs/periodic limb movement disorder. They also had very high rates of self-reported insomnia and nonrestorative sleep. Narcolepsy and CFS participants were very similar on psychological adjustment: both these groups had more psychological maladjustment than did control group participants. Our data suggest that primary sleep disorders in individuals with CFS are underdiagnosed in primary care settings and that the psychological disturbances seen in CFS may well be the result of living with a chronic illness that is poorly recognized or understood.
J Behav Med 2004 Dec
PMID:Sleep quality and psychological adjustment in chronic fatigue syndrome. 1566 45

Research indicates that exposure to traumatic stressors and psychological trauma is widespread. The association of such exposures with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions is well known. However, epidemiologic research increasingly suggests that exposure to these events is related to increased health care utilization, adverse health outcomes, the onset of specific diseases, and premature death. To date, studies have linked traumatic stress exposures and PTSD to such conditions as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders, and other diseases. Evidence linking cardiovascular disease and exposure to psychological trauma is particularly strong and has been found consistently across different populations and stressor events. In addition, clinical studies have suggested the biological pathways through which stressor-induced diseases may be pathologically expressed. In particular, recent studies have implicated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) stress axes as key in this pathogenic process, although genetic and behavioral/psychological risk factors cannot be ruled out. Recent findings, indicating that victims of PTSD have higher circulating T-cell lymphocytes and lower cortisol levels, are intriguing and suggest that chronic sufferers of PTSD may be at risk for autoimmune diseases. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the association between chronic PTSD in a national sample of 2,490 Vietnam veterans and the prevalence of common autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, insulin-dependent diabetes, and thyroid disease. Our analyses suggest that chronic PTSD, particularly comorbid PTSD or complex PTSD, is associated with all of these conditions. In addition, veterans with comorbid PTSD were more likely to have clinically higher T-cell counts, hyperreactive immune responses on standardized delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity tests, clinically higher immunoglobulin-M levels, and clinically lower dehydroepiandrosterone levels. The latter clinical evidence confirms the presence of biological markers consistent with a broad range of inflammatory disorders, including both cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.
Ann N Y Acad Sci 2004 Dec
PMID:Posttraumatic stress disorder and physical illness: results from clinical and epidemiologic studies. 1567 1

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an illness characterized by unexplained and prolonged fatigue that is often accompanied by abnormalities of immune, endocrine and cognitive functions. Diminished natural killer cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) is a frequently reported finding. However, the molecular basis of this defect of in vitro cytotoxicy has not been described. Perforin is a protein found within intracellular granules of NK and cytotoxic T cells and is a key factor in the lytic processes mediated by these cells. Quantitative fluorescence flow cytometry was used to the intracellular perforin content in CFS subjects and healthy controls. A significant reduction in the NK cell associated perforin levels in samples from CFS patients, compared to healthy controls, was observed. There was also an indication of a reduced perforin level within the cytotoxic T cells of CFS subjects, providing the first evidence, to our knowledge, to suggest a T cell associated cytotoxic deficit in CFS. Because perforin is important in immune surveillance and homeostasis of the immune system, its deficiency may prove to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of CFS and its analysis may prove useful as a biomarker in the study of CFS.
Clin Exp Immunol 2005 Dec
PMID:Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with diminished intracellular perforin. 1629 63

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disease of uncertain aetiology that is characterised by unexplained, severe fatigue associated with a number of typical symptoms. This paper reviews the scientific literature related to current theories about the aetiology and pathogenesis of CFS by focussing on what appear to be the four most significant aspects in the development and perpetuation of this disease: the role of infectious agents as well as immunological, neuroendocrine, and psychiatric factors. A multifactorial model for the aetiology of CFS, which includes and draws together these four aspects, is proposed; and suggestions are offered regarding approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
N Z Med J 2005 Dec 16
PMID:Aetiology and pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome: a review. 1637 29

There is now evidence that major depression is accompanied by decreased levels of omega3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). There is a strong comorbidity between major depression and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The present study has been carried out in order to examine PUFA levels in CFS. In twenty-two CFS patients and 12 normal controls we measured serum PUFA levels using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. We found that CFS was accompanied by increased levels of omega6 PUFAs, i.e. linoleic acid and arachidonic acid (AA), and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), i.e. oleic acid. The EPA/AA and total omega3/omega6 ratios were significantly lower in CFS patients than in normal controls. The omega3/omega6 ratio was significantly and negatively correlated to the severity of illness and some items of the FibroFatigue scale, i.e. aches and pain, fatigue and failing memory. The severity of illness was significantly and positively correlated to linoleic and arachidonic acid, oleic acid, omega9 fatty acids and one of the saturated fatty acids, i.e. palmitic acid. In CFS subjects, we found significant positive correlations between the omega3/omega6 ratio and lowered serum zinc levels and the lowered mitogen-stimulated CD69 expression on CD3+, CD3+ CD4+, and CD3+ CD8+ T cells, which indicate defects in early T cell activation. The results of this study show that a decreased availability of omega3 PUFAs plays a role in the pathophysiology of CFS and is related to the immune pathophysiology of CFS. The results suggest that patients with CFS should respond favourably to treatment with--amongst other things--omega3 PUFAs, such as EPA and DHA.
Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2005 Dec
PMID:In chronic fatigue syndrome, the decreased levels of omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids are related to lowered serum zinc and defects in T cell activation. 1638 Jun 90

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes a worldwide zoonosis, Q fever, and can be misused as a biological warfare agent. Infection in animals (coxiellosis) is mostly persistent. Infection in humans is often asymptomatic, but it can manifest as an acute disease (usually a self-limited flu-like illness, pneumonia, or hepatitis) or as a chronic form (mainly endocarditis, but also hepatitis and chronic fatigue syndrome). C. burnetii infection in pregnant women may result in abortions, premature deliveries, and stillbirths. Infection in nature is maintained and transmitted by ticks as the principal vector and reservoir. Cattle, sheep, and goats are the most important source of human infections. Humans contract C. burnetii infection mostly by aerosol in contact with contaminated environs, wind playing an important factor in spreading the infection. The wide distribution of C. burnetii contributes to a high resistance of its extracellular small cell variant to environmental conditions. Its intracellular large cell variant, adapted to survive under harsh conditions of phagolysosomes, enables long-term survival and persistence of C. burnetii, namely in monocytes/macrophages. Host factors such as underlying disease and cell-mediated immunity play a decisive role in the clinical expression of C. burnetii infection. Complete genome analysis of C. burnetii will certainly contribute to better understanding of the pathogenesis of C. burnetii infection and will improve Q fever diagnosis and immunoprophylaxis.
Ann N Y Acad Sci 2005 Dec
PMID:Coxiella burnetii infection. 1648 1

Two hundred and seventy-five patients fulfilling the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) completed measures assessing illness history, global ratings of well being, sleep, activity and psychopathology at baseline, 6 months, 18 months and 3 year follow-up. Forty-nine of these patients had been prescribed antidepressant medication, namely Tricyclic drugs or Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI). Data from the current study suggests that patients in the antidepressant medication group recover at a faster rate over time when compared to the untreated patient sample. In addition, the positive effects of antidepressant therapy are maintained at the 3-year follow-up point. It appears from these data that the SSRI in particular are responsible for improvements in the condition. Most importantly, these improvements include a reduction in the levels of fatigue recorded by patients. These findings have not been demonstrated in previous studies of the effect of antidepressant therapy for patients with this illness and this may reflect the short time periods studied in the earlier research.
Hum Psychopharmacol 2006 Dec
PMID:An investigation of the long-term benefits of antidepressant medication in the recovery of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. 1698 Dec 20


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