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Authors: Gerwyn Morris, George Anderson, Piotr Galecki, Michael Berk and Michael Maes
Credits/Source: BMC Medicine 2013, 11:64 doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-64
Published on: 2013-03-08
http://7thspace.com/headlines/43378...gue_syndrome_mecfs_and_sickness_behavior.html
Credits/Source: BMC Medicine 2013, 11:64 doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-64
Published on: 2013-03-08
http://7thspace.com/headlines/43378...gue_syndrome_mecfs_and_sickness_behavior.html
It is of importance whether myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a variant of sickness behavior. The latter is induced by acute infections/injury being principally mediated through proinflammatory cytokines.
Sickness is a beneficial behavioral response that serves to enhance recovery, conserves energy and plays a role in the resolution of inflammation. There are behavioral/symptomatic similarities (for example, fatigue, malaise, hyperalgesia) and dissimilarities (gastrointestinal symptoms, anorexia and weight loss) between sickness and ME/CFS.
While sickness is an adaptive response induced by proinflammatory cytokines, ME/CFS is a chronic, disabling disorder, where the pathophysiology is related to activation of immunoinflammatory and oxidative pathways and autoimmune responses. While sickness behavior is a state of energy conservation, which plays a role in combating pathogens, ME/CFS is a chronic disease underpinned by a state of energy depletion.
While sickness is an acute response to infection/injury, the trigger factors in ME/CFS are less well defined and encompass acute and chronic infections, as well as inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. It is concluded that sickness behavior and ME/CFS are two different conditions.