Severity of symptom flare after moderate exercise is linked to cytokine activity in chronic fatigue syndrome

  1. Andrea T. White1,
  2. Alan R. Light2,3,
  3. Ronald W. Hughen2,
  4. Lucinda Bateman4,
  5. Thomas B. Martins5,6,
  6. Harry R. Hill5,6,
  7. Kathleen C. Light2

Article first published online: 4 MAR 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.00978.x

Issue

Psychophysiology

Psychophysiology

Volume 47, Issue 4, pages 615–624, July 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

White, A. T., Light, A. R., Hughen, R. W., Bateman, L., Martins, T. B., Hill, H. R. and Light, K. C. (2010), Severity of symptom flare after moderate exercise is linked to cytokine activity in chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychophysiology, 47: 615–624. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.00978.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Anesthesiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

  3. 3

    Department of Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

  4. 4

    Fatigue Consultation Clinic, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

  5. 5

    Associated Regional & University Pathologists (ARUP), Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

  6. 6

    Departments of Pathology, Pediatrics, and Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

*Address reprint requests to: Kathleen C. Light, Department of Anesthesiology, 3C444 SOM, 30 North 1900 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132-2304, USA. E-mail: Kathleen.C.Light@hsc.utah.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 JUN 2010
  2. Article first published online: 4 MAR 2010
  3. (Received April 13, 2009; Accepted August 17, 2009)

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Keywords:

  • Chronic fatigue syndrome;
  • Cytokines;
  • Exercise;
  • Pain

Abstract

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients often report symptom flare (SF) for >24 h after moderate exercise (post-ex). We hypothesized that SF is linked to increases in circulating cytokines and CD40 Ligand (CD40L). In 19 CFS patients and 17 controls, mental and physical fatigue and pain symptom ratings were obtained together with serum for 11 cytokines and CD40L before and at 0.5, 8, 24, and 48 h post-ex. Before exercise, CFS had lower CD40L (p<.05) but similar cytokines versus controls. In subgroups based on SF at 48 h, high SF patients (n=11) increased in IL-1β, IL-12, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-13 (p<.05) 8 h post-ex. Low SF patients (n=8) showed post-ex decreases in IL-10, IL-13, and CD40L, and controls decreased in IL-10, CD40L, and TNFα (p<.05). Thus, in CFS, cytokine activity may vary directly with SF, which may explain prior inconsistent findings.

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