In this issue of the
Scandinavian Journal of Pain, two papers address pain in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): Andrea Polli and her co-workers report an association between exercise-induced changes in pressure pain thresholds and complement activity which was not present among healthy controls, suggesting a link between immune and pain modulation in CFS. Elin Bolle Strand and her co-workers found that pain is associated with anxiety and depression, and exerts a strong negative impact on CFS patients’ quality of life; these findings emphasize the importance of assessing and relieving pain in clinical care.
Pain is one of the most commonly reported bodily complaints among adult and adolescent CFS sufferers [
1], [
2], and is included in the most frequently used diagnostic criteria of CFS [
3], [
4]. Still, a rather limited number of previous studies have specifically addressed pain in CFS. Thus, this symptom seems to be somewhat ignored by clinicians treating patients with CFS as well as researchers studying mechanisms and management of CFS [
5].
1 Generalized increased central sensory sensitivity in CFS?
2 Autonomic nervous system alterations and generalized low-grade inflammation in CFS
3 Emotional and cognitive alterations in CFS
4 Pain and fatigue: expressions of similar alarm systems for disturbed homeostasis?
5 Implications for further CFS research
