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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, Mar 1994, 222-226, Vol 1, No. 2
PK Peterson, SA Sirr, FC Grammith, CH Schenck, AM Pheley, S Hu and CC Chao
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an idiopathic disorder characterized by
fatigue that is markedly exacerbated by physical exertion. In the present
study, we tested the hypothesis that mild exercise (walking 1 mph [1 mile =
1.609 km] for 30 min) would provoke serum cytokine and cerebral blood flow
abnormalities of potential pathogenic importance in CFS. Interleukin-1
beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were nondetectable in
sera of CFS patients (n = 10) and healthy control subjects (n = 10) pre-
and postexercise. At rest, serum transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)
levels were elevated in the CFS group compared with the control group (287
+/- 18 versus 115 +/- 5 pg/ml, respectively; P < 0.01). Serum TGF-beta
and cerebral blood flow abnormalities, detected by single-photon
emission-computed tomographic scanning, were accentuated postexercise in
the CFS group. Although these findings were not significantly different
from those in the control group, the effect of exercise on serum TGF-beta
and cerebral blood flow appeared magnified in the CFS patients. Results of
this study encourage future research on the interaction of physical
exertion, serum cytokines, and cerebral blood flow in CFS that will adopt a
more rigorous exercise program than the one used in this study.
Copyright © 1994 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Effects of mild exercise on cytokines and cerebral blood flow in chronic fatigue syndrome patients
Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 54415, USA.
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