2.19 How does CFS relate to the Epstein-Barr virus?
Description
This article is from the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) FAQ, by cfs-news@cais.com (Roger Burns) with numerous contributions by others.
2.19 How does CFS relate to the Epstein-Barr virus?
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the cause of mononucleosis, and a
well-publicized study in 1985 suggested that there may be a strong
correlation to CFS. But many doctors have not read the later research
that has minimized what at first seemed to be a strong link. The
original apparent correlation was described in:
Straus SE, Tosato G, Armstrong G, Lawley T, et al. Persisting illness
and fatigue in adults with evidence of Epstein-Barr infection. Ann
Intern Med 1985; 102:7-16.
Later studies showed that many CFS patients have had no exposure to
EBV at all. This clarification has been shown in:
Buchwald D, Sullivan JL, Komaroff AL. Frequency of "chronic active
Epstein-Barr" virus infection in a general medical practise. JAMA
1987; 257:2303-7.
Holmes GP, Kaplan JE, Stewart JA, et al. A cluster of patients with a
chronic mononucleosis-like syndrome. JAMA 1987; 257:2297-302.
EBV, and other viruses, may ultimately be found to play some role in
CFS in many patients. But based on the studies cited above, it would
not be appropriate to rule a diagnosis of CFS based solely on a
negative test for EBV.
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