Abstract
Limited immunological changes have been previously reported in B cell phenotype in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients, so there is no clear established role of B cells in the pathophysiology of CFS patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate B cells subsets including naive, memory naive, memory switched, memory non-switched, double negative, transitional, plasmablasts, HLA-DR+, plasma and regulatory B cells (Breg) in CFS patients compared with non-fatigued controls. B cell activation markers (CD81, CD21) and surface receptors (CD79a/b, IgM, IgD, IgA, IgE) were also examined in CFS patients compared with non-fatigued controls. 46 CFS patients (age=50.00 ± 2.00 years) and 34 non-fatigued controls (age=49.00 ± 2.16 years) participated in the study. The percentage of BCR IgM+ B cells was significantly increased in the CFS group compared with non-fatigued controls (p=0.037). Similarly, there was a significant decrease in the CD1d+ B cells in the CFS group compared with non-fatigued controls (p=0.046). No additional differences in B cell phenotypes, activation markers and surface receptors were found in the CFS patients compared with the non-fatigued control group. The differences observed in the B cell phenotype of CFS patients compared with non-fatigued controls may explain some of the disturbances in the immune homeostasis, however whether this is causal or the consequence of immunological imbalances previously reported in CFS patients requires further investigation.
Highlights
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex, heterogeneous disorder that is characterized by prolonged and occasionally relapsing fatigue that persists for periods of 6 months or longer [1,2]
B cell phenotypes There was no difference in the number or percentage of total B cells between CFS and control groups (Figure 2)
This study evaluated B cell phenotypes and their surface receptors in CFS patients compared with healthy controls
Summary
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex, heterogeneous disorder that is characterized by prolonged and occasionally relapsing fatigue that persists for periods of 6 months or longer [1,2]. Fatigue is the main symptom reported in CFS, cognitive debility, unrefreshing sleep, muscle and joint pain and flu-like symptoms are symptoms of CFS. This debilitating illness with unknown etiology is further complicated by the lack of a diagnostic test, specific biological marker or a clear path for treatment. There is no consistency in the immunological findings with the exception of natural killer (NK) cell activity, which has recurrently shown to be reduced in CFS patients [6,7,8,9,10]. Other studies have found no differences in B cells in CFS patients [15,16]
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