The possible role of interleukin-17a elevation in the development of chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by immune dysfunctions including chronic immune activation, inflammation and alteration of cytokines profiles. Therefore, the aim of current study was to test the association between existence of chronic fatigue syndrome and serum levels of Interleukin-17A.

Fifty three patients with CFS were enrolled in this study and level of Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) has been estimated in their sera. The results were compared with those for 32 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients as a disease control and 35 apparently healthy control individuals.

The results showed highly significant elevation in the level of IL-17A among CFS group in comparison with RA patients and healthy controls. Evaluation of this biomarker by (ROC)???? application revealed that is is an important parameter in discrimination between CFS patients and healthy individuals and can be used as an indicator and diagnostic marker. Also, a concentration of 4.4 ng/ml is optimum with a sensitivity of 98.1%, a specificity of 65.7% and an accuracy of 85.23%. Therefore, IL-17A is virtuous and suitable to confirm the diagnosis of CFS in suspected cases.