Sickness Syndrome Is Not Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!

In the past, I have proposed that maybe sickness syndrome might be a part of the illness chronic fatigue syndrome. Sickness syndrome is depression that is caused by a number of cytokines such as Il-1b, Il-6 and Tnf-a. At the time I proposed that they might be similar, there were few studies that found consistent cytokine production in CFS. Dr. Dantzer argues that these two conditions are two separate entities. He states "the most important way to differentiate the two is by the production of Il-6." While the production of Il-6 is produced during sickness syndrome it is decreased in chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, Morris explains "how sickness syndrome is adaptive and an acute response to injury and chronic fatigue syndrome is maladaptive." Whereas, chronic fatigue syndrome becomes chronic and induces oxidative pathways and autoimmune responses. (Morris)
As far as the adaptive nature of sickness syndrome, one can see this in dogs that have it because it changes the behavior of other dogs around the sick animal. Most often the other pack dogs become more helpful to the sick or the injured.


Cytokine, sickness behavior, and depression. Neurologic clinics, Vol. 24, No. 3. (August 2006), pp. 441-460, doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2006.03.003 by Robert Dantzer. http://www.citeulike.org/user/kimberlykramer2015/article/1045967

A narrative review on the similarities and dissimilarities between myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and sickness behavior. BMC medicine, Vol. 11 (2013) by Gerwyn Morris, George Anderson, Piotr Galecki, Michael Berk, Michael Maes. http://www.citeulike.org/user/kimberlykramer2015/article/13558191