Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Volume 2, Issue 1, 1996

Volume 2, Issue 1, 1996

 * Editorial, by Roberto Patarca
 * Active HHV-6 Infection in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients from Italy"'Abstract - Primary Human Herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infection has been related to different clinical pictures and, notably, to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). We studied 52 patients fulfilling the criteria of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for CFS and a control group of 51 matched healthy blood donors. HHV-6 was recovered by culture and confirmed by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and by PCR in 30/52 patients (57.7%) and in 6/51 (11.7%) of blood donors.'"
 * Interindividual Immune Status Variation Patterns in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Association with Gender and the Tumor Necrosis Factor System"'Abstract - Changes in soluble immune mediator levels in association with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) usually occur within normal ranges and are apparent mainly as changes in the skewness of population distributions. The latter finding undermines the usefulness of cytokine levels as clinical tools at the individual level as has been seen in sepsis syndrome where a similar overlap occurs. Nonetheless, changes in cytokine levels at the population level can contribute to an understanding of the disease process. For example, we reported previously that significant proportions of CFS patients showed elevated serum levels of either soluble tumor necrosis factor-receptor I (sTNF-RI, sCD120a) or TNFα as compared to controls. The latter results could reflect different disease processes or extremes of a common disease process. Using sera collected over a five-year period, we have now studied an extended cohort of 108 CFS patients and our results are consistent with a common graded disease process. When we assessed the effect of gender on the distributions of serum levels of immune mediators, levels of sTNF-RI, sTNF-RII (sCD 12Ob), sIL-6R (sCDl26), and sICAM-1 were found to be consistently higher among males than females and among CFS patients as compared to controls regardless of gender. Moreover, differences in soluble immune mediator levels between CFS and control individuals were more clearly defined when restricting the analysis to the female gender. These observations are consistent with endocrine influences on immunological changes"
 * Gulf War Syndrome: Polysormographic Study of Eight Cases"'Abstract - Our purpose was to explore whether patients complaining of the 'Gulf War Syndrome' might have hidden sleep disorders, or psychiatric disorders, similar to what has been described in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Eight consecutive Gulf War veterans from the VA Gulf War Registry and Evaluation program complaining of fatigue, as well as other symptoms, were psychiatrically and polysomnographically screened. One was found to have major depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while another had PTSD alone. The sleep diagnoses assigned to the 8 patients were as follows: Three had sleep apnea syndrome, one of whom also had periodic limb movements of sleep disorder. Four others met criteria for periodic limb movements (PLMs) of sleep disorder. Four of the patients had clinically significant sleep state-misperceptions. All of the patients' symptoms were reported as occurring subsequent to Gulf War deployment, and not prior to deployment. As with the classic fatigue syndromes such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome patients may benefit from a more thorough investigation of their sleep and psychiatric status. In view of these findings, consideration of polysomnographic screening would appear appropriate in Gulf War Veterans with fatigue or sleep-related complaints.'"
 * Race and Ethnicity in Patients with Chronic Fatigue"'Abstract - Purpose: Chronic fatigue (CF) is a common complaint in ambulatory settings. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by profound fatigue associated with other symptoms that is rarely reported in racial/ethnic minorities. Our objectives were to determine if differences exist between Caucasian and minority patients presenting with CF, particularly in the frequency meeting criteria for CFS. Patients: 690 patients with CF seen in a university-based referral clinic. Design/Methods: Demographic, historical, physical examination, laboratory, and psychosocial information was prospectively collected and compared. Psychosocial assessment consisted of a structured psychiatric interview, the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey to assess functional status, the General Health Questionnaire to ascertain psychological distress, and measures of health locus of control, illness attribution, social support, and coping. Results: With the exception of less social support from friends, no significant race/ethicity-related differences were identified. Minority patients tended less commonly to report a moderate level of fatigue, and to have poorer social function, less social support from families, and lower rates of lifetime major depression and alcohol abuse. Conclusions: Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors do not distinguish Caucasian from minority CF patients. Help-seeking behaviors, access to care, and the significance attributed to the central complaints should be examined as potentially competing explanations for these findings."
 * Viruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - No abstract available for this article.
 * Immunologic Abnormalities in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - No abstract available for this article.
 * Literature in Review - No abstract available for this article.