Sickness behavior

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

Sickness behavior, sometimes called sickness response, are nonspecific behavioral changes humans and many animals adopt in response to an infection.[citation needed] Responses include lethargy, lack of appetite, low grade fever, sleepiness and lack of motivation.[citation needed] It is thought to have evolved to encourage behaviors that conserve energy and allow the host to better mount an immune response against invading pathogens.[citation needed]

Immune response[edit | edit source]

In response to the presence of a pathogen, proinflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are released peripherally.[citation needed] These may then be sensed by the vagus nerve initiating a set of behavioral responses in the brain.[citation needed]

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