[Chronic fatigue syndrome: a review].

TLDR

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an underdiagnosed condition in Italy with uncertain epidemiology and etiology, more common in northern regions and Gulf War veterans, classified by Fukuda criteria, and currently lacking effective therapies. The study aims to establish a biological bank of chronic fatigue syndrome patients to investigate immunogenetic factors and clarify its etiopathogenesis. Sickness behavior, characterized by cytokine imbalance in the CNS and periphery, is proposed as a key mechanism underlying chronic fatigue syndrome.

Abstract

Chronic fatigue sindrome is a relatively unknown and underdiagnosed entity in Italy where its epidemiology remains uncertain, as well as its etiology, although it causes important disability in those affected. Classification criteria by Fukuda are available to diagnose the syndrome. Its epidemiology indicates that it is probably more frequent in Northern countries and it is described in Gulf War veterans. Etiological hypotheses include infectious diseases, immunology and neurology. Among these hypotheses sickness behavior mimes certain aspects of this syndrome and is characterized by a cytokine imbalance in the central nervous system and in the periphery. There are no valid therapies available at the moment. In the laboratory of Immunogenetics, we are constituting a biological bank of the syndrome to study the immunogenetic aspects of the disease in the hope of delucidating some of the obscure areas of its etiopathogenesis.