Abstract
Hypothesis: Allergies have been proposed as a cause or contributing factor of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). If this is so, then the stigmata of atopy, such as symptoms of allergic rhinitis and high serum IgE, should be present in CFS subjects.
Methods:Medical records from an allergy and immunology clinic were retrospectively reviewed. All subjects who had had a serum IgE measurement performed over a 4-year period were identified, and allergy history and skin test data reviewed. Patients were then classified as: (a) allergic rhinitis (n = 51), (b) CFS (n = 113, 1992 criteria), and (c) normal subjects without atopy, CFS or immunodeficiency (n = 76). IgE levels were compared between groups.
Results:A clinical history of allergic rhinitis was present in 31% (35/113) of the CFS subjects. The IgE levels of allergic rhinitis subjects and the subset of CFS subjects with allergic rhinitis were 392 ± 73 and 406 ± 123 IU/ml, respectively. In contrast, normal subjects and CFS subjects who did not give a history of allergic rhinitis had normal IgE levels of 49 ± 9 and 33 ± 4 Ilj/mt, respectively.
Conclusion:Atopy with clinically defined allergic rhinitis, high IgE, positive allergy skin tests and the presumed TH2 lymphocyte- IgE-mast cell-eosinophil axis overactivity and immediate hypersen-sitivity (Type I) immune response was present in a minority of CFS subjects. While atopy may coexist in some CFS subjects, it is unlikely that atopy plays a causal role in CFS pathogenesis.