Table 2. T-test comparison of CSF levels of cytokines and chemokines in atypical ME/CFS vs classical ME/CFS, by duration of illnessa.
| Immune molecule | Atypical short duration, N=13 | Atypical long duration, N=6 | Classical short duration, N=14 | Classical long duration, N=18 | Atypical short vs atypical long | Atypical short vs classical short | Atypical short vs classical long | Atypical long vs classical short | Atypical long vs classical long | Classical short vs classical long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (s.d.) | Mean (s.d.) | Mean (s.d.) | Mean (s.d.) | P-value | P-value | P-value | P-value | P-value | P-value | |
| IL1ra | 9.80 (2.74) | 11.01 (3.17) | 10.65 (2.25) | 11.26 (1.73) | 0.404 | 0.398 | 0.086 | 0.759 | 0.840 | 0.405 |
| IL1α | 0.67 (0.48) | 1.04 (0.50) | 1.18 (1.38) | 0.96 (0.86) | 0.147 | 0.283 | 0.137 | 0.805 | 0.645 | 0.953 |
| IL1β | 0.36 (0.13) | 0.50 (0.11) | 0.58 (0.18) | 0.46 (0.13) | 0.040 | 0.001 | 0.047 | 0.347 | 0.482 | 0.038 |
| IL2 | 0.02 (0.02) | 0.02 (0.02) | 0.07 (0.10) | 0.03 (0.04) | 0.999 | 0.100 | 0.073 | 0.215 | 0.160 | 0.755 |
| IL4 | 14.56 (3.92) | 16.36 (4.96) | 16.81 (5.05) | 16.63 (3.54) | 0.399 | 0.187 | 0.139 | 0.839 | 0.910 | 0.849 |
| IL5 | 0.15 (0.16) | 0.12 (0.12) | 0.62 (0.35) | 0.34 (0.36) | 0.660 | 0.0002 | 0.211 | 0.001 | 0.534 | 0.012 |
| IL6 | 0.33 (0.37) | 0.11 (0.22) | 0.36 (0.46) | 0.53 (0.51) | 0.089 | 0.4986 | 0.096 | 0.010 | 0.001 | 0.245 |
| IL7 | 0.48 (0.23) | 0.65 (0.40) | 0.85 (0.29) | 0.89 (0.20) | 0.282 | 0.001 | <0.0001 | 0.206 | 0.199 | 0.657 |
| CXCL8 (IL8) | 4.00 (2.23) | 3.69 (1.65) | 5.40 (2.07) | 4.56 (1.72) | 0.873 | 0.067 | 0.270 | 0.068 | 0.214 | 0.217 |
| IL10 | 0.34 (0.15) | 0.46 (0.14) | 0.49 (0.11) | 0.43 (0.10) | 0.135 | 0.010 | 0.087 | 0.662 | 0.518 | 0.116 |
| IL12p40 | 0.11 (0.13) | 0.28 (0.22) | 0.20 (0.34) | 0.09 (0.17) | 0.122 | 0.816 | 0.330 | 0.177 | 0.015 | 0.217 |
| IL12p70 | 0.40 (0.13) | 0.40 (0.11) | 0.59 (0.48) | 0.45 (0.14) | 0.911 | 0.095 | 0.272 | 0.185 | 0.345 | 0.351 |
| IL13 | 0.14 (0.07) | 0.15 (0.04) | 0.42 (0.18) | 0.29 (0.21) | 0.530 | 0.0002 | 0.017 | 0.0001 | 0.017 | 0.057 |
| IL15 | 0.75 (0.23) | 0.94 (0.32) | 0.95 (0.44) | 0.77 (0.32) | 0.141 | 0.157 | 0.859 | 0.992 | 0.254 | 0.196 |
| IL17A | 0.33 (0.23) | 0.18 (0.23) | 1.01 (0.49) | 0.67 (0.32) | 0.099 | 0.0002 | 0.002 | 0.0002 | 0.0002 | 0.055 |
| IL17F | 0.22 (0.06) | 0.24 (0.06) | 0.34 (0.28) | 0.23 (0.07) | 0.596 | 0.022 | 0.834 | 0.199 | 0.710 | 0.027 |
| IFNα2 | 0.17 (0.51) | 0.09 (0.16) | 1.45 (2.20) | 0.35 (0.54) | 0.726 | 0.0004 | 0.042 | 0.011 | 0.230 | 0.049 |
| IFNβ | 3.24 (0.72) | 3.62 (0.79) | 4.52 (1.82) | 3.29 (0.64) | 0.326 | 0.012 | 0.776 | 0.236 | 0.362 | 0.007 |
| IFNγ | 0.04 (0.01) | 0.04 (0.01) | 0.06 (0.04) | 0.05 (0.01) | 0.581 | 0.007 | 0.050 | 0.035 | 0.082 | 0.111 |
| TNFα | 0.30 (0.11) | 0.38 (0.11) | 0.54 (0.30) | 0.36 (0.10) | 0.137 | 0.006 | 0.073 | 0.284 | 0.671 | 0.059 |
| TNFβ | 0.34 (0.16) | 0.23 (0.17) | 0.28 (0.15) | 0.33 (0.12) | 0.176 | 0.346 | 0.948 | 0.459 | 0.092 | 0.264 |
| CD40L | 0.88 (0.78) | 0.92 (1.22) | 1.85 (1.78) | 1.28 (1.05) | 0.686 | 0.075 | 0.216 | 0.113 | 0.194 | 0.379 |
| sFasL | 0.92 (0.47) | 0.73 (0.49) | 1.41 (0.97) | 1.03 (0.22) | 0.315 | 0.053 | 0.229 | 0.030 | 0.180 | 0.163 |
| TRAIL (TNFSF10) | 7.99 (4.40) | 7.62 (4.05) | 13.80 (5.65) | 10.41 (3.01) | 0.903 | 0.007 | 0.066 | 0.027 | 0.074 | 0.072 |
| CCL2 (MCP1) | 105.12 (27.98) | 126.52 (50.59) | 146.50 (31.63) | 116.09 (31.08) | 0.250 | 0.001 | 0.321 | 0.288 | 0.555 | 0.010 |
| CCL3 (MIP1α) | 2.99 (3.22) | 2.99 (1.63) | 4.01 (2.05) | 4.34 (2.24) | 0.620 | 0.134 | 0.067 | 0.355 | 0.151 | 0.611 |
| CCL4 (MIP1β) | 43.68 (50.90) | 45.03 (28.10) | 43.80 (27.75) | 46.75 (27.09) | 0.561 | 0.538 | 0.374 | 0.840 | 0.941 | 0.708 |
| CCL5 (RANTES) | 0.67 (0.69) | 0.51 (0.44) | 1.92 (3.28) | 1.00 (1.87) | 0.668 | 0.054 | 0.380 | 0.056 | 0.226 | 0.142 |
| CCL7 (MCP3) | 3.82 (1.73) | 3.82 (1.99) | 7.34 (4.11) | 5.33 (2.08) | 0.935 | 0.003 | 0.054 | 0.017 | 0.129 | 0.088 |
| CCL11 (eotaxin) | 1.85 (0.92) | 2.93 (1.99) | 3.46 (1.92) | 2.61 (1.03) | 0.127 | 0.012 | 0.032 | 0.579 | 0.734 | 0.212 |
| CXCL1 (GROα) | 3.02 (0.97) | 3.01 (0.69) | 3.53 (1.36) | 3.41 (0.94) | 0.824 | 0.234 | 0.212 | 0.400 | 0.388 | 0.909 |
| CXCL5 (ENA78) | 0.17 (0.34) | 0.80 (1.05) | 1.03 (1.07) | 0.45 (0.60) | 0.282 | 0.002 | 0.262 | 0.210 | 0.786 | 0.037 |
| CXCL9 (MIG) | 3.74 (3.20) | 4.38 (4.65) | 25.75 (43.34) | 9.58 (7.62) | 0.783 | 0.0005 | 0.004 | 0.007 | 0.114 | 0.038 |
| CXCL10 (IP10) | 37.30 (26.81) | 59.76 (37.90) | 79.31 (109.81) | 55.45 (42.11) | 0.240 | 0.148 | 0.084 | 0.915 | 0.907 | 0.781 |
| TGFα | 2.51 (1.02) | 2.89 (0.83) | 2.50 (0.64) | 2.73 (0.76) | 0.434 | 0.970 | 0.493 | 0.267 | 0.670 | 0.368 |
| TGFβ | 6.28 (6.92) | 4.01 (3.72) | 4.20 (4.39) | 2.98 (2.68) | 0.580 | 0.271 | 0.122 | 0.706 | 0.515 | 0.843 |
| SCF (SF) | 3.36 (2.28) | 5.96 (1.65) | 3.05 (1.27) | 3.25 (1.61) | 0.020 | 0.977 | 0.859 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.780 |
| CSF1 (MCSF) | 6.23 (4.16) | 6.22 (6.94) | 4.56 (3.00) | 4.26 (2.91) | 0.427 | 0.212 | 0.090 | 0.958 | 0.920 | 0.704 |
| CSF2 (GMCSF) | 0.43 (0.14) | 0.54 (0.27) | 0.73 (0.55) | 0.54 (0.21) | 0.422 | 0.014 | 0.161 | 0.303 | 0.863 | 0.182 |
| CSF3 (GCSF) | 0.18 (0.25) | 0.37 (0.37) | 1.47 (0.82) | 0.59 (0.74) | 0.442 | <0.0001 | 0.356 | 0.040 | 0.994 | 0.001 |
| PDGFBB | 0.33 (0.13) | 0.30 (0.09) | 0.37 (0.38) | 0.30 (0.12) | 0.888 | 0.792 | 0.641 | 0.927 | 0.819 | 0.907 |
| βNGF | 0.59 (0.37) | 0.85 (0.30) | 1.31 (0.43) | 0.82 (0.34) | 0.111 | 0.0001 | 0.048 | 0.031 | 0.780 | 0.001 |
| FGFb | 0.83 (0.18) | 0.80 (0.12) | 0.52 (0.33) | 0.65 (0.21) | 0.733 | 0.005 | 0.016 | 0.011 | 0.102 | 0.172 |
| HGF | 28.88 (14.97) | 35.53 (16.01) | 32.01 (14.19) | 27.69 (9.63) | 0.360 | 0.546 | 0.937 | 0.614 | 0.170 | 0.371 |
| VEGFA | 5.60 (2.27) | 6.30 (0.67) | 6.74 (1.78) | 6.37 (1.78) | 0.280 | 0.143 | 0.269 | 0.460 | 0.938 | 0.559 |
| LIF | 0.22 (0.06) | 0.28 (0.09) | 0.31 (0.10) | 0.25 (0.08) | 0.091 | 0.036 | 0.326 | 0.691 | 0.457 | 0.165 |
| Resistin | 2.96 (1.72) | 5.06 (3.78) | 6.39 (3.84) | 4.83 (2.37) | 0.242 | 0.003 | 0.017 | 0.329 | 0.865 | 0.158 |
| Leptin | 44.07 (26.65) | 66.35 (54.02) | 55.44 (45.25) | 78.13 (61.80) | 0.433 | 0.678 | 0.143 | 0.683 | 0.728 | 0.307 |
| Serpin E1 (PAI1) | 83.74 (39.45) | 123.36 (38.63) | 132.69 (27.44) | 135.25 (55.70) | 0.053 | 0.002 | 0.004 | 0.489 | 0.679 | 0.943 |
| sICAM1 (CD54) | 96.44 (54.07) | 150.05 (49.90) | 135.97 (52.37) | 135.96 (36.85) | 0.061 | 0.048 | 0.030 | 0.560 | 0.496 | 0.937 |
| VCAM1 (CD106) | 342.23 (132.16) | 431.50 (97.75) | 375.29 (81.92) | 336.56 (82.97) | 0.145 | 0.367 | 0.974 | 0.199 | 0.031 | 0.185 |
Abbreviations: CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; ME/CFS, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.
a
Bold text indicates P-values meeting significance level after Bonferroni–Holm correction.