Clinical symptoms and markers of disease mechanisms in adolescent chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection: An exploratory cross-sectional study

•Post-infective fatigue is common, but disease mechanisms remain obscure.•Symptoms and disease markers were studied in post-EBV fatigue and non-fatigue cases.•Post-EBV fatigue has high symptom burden, but subtle alterations of disease markers.•Sympathetic predominance might explain increased CRP levels in post-EBV fatigue. Acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a trigger of chronic fatigue (CF) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore clinical symptoms as well as markers of disease mechanisms in fatigued and non-fatigued adolescents 6 months after EBV-infection, and in healthy controls. A total of 200 adolescents (12–20 years old) with acute EBV infection were assessed 6 months after the initial infectious event and divided into fatigued (EBV CF+) and non-fatigued (EBV CF−) cases based on questionnaire score. The EBV CF+ cases were further sub-divided according to case definitions of CFS. In addition, a group of 70 healthy controls with similar distribution of sex and age was included. Symptoms were mapped with a questionnaire. Laboratory assays included EBV PCR and serology; detailed blood leukocyte phenotyping and serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein; and plasma and urine cortisol and catecholamines. Assessment of autonomic activity was performed with continuous, non-invasive monitoring of cardiovascular variables during supine rest, controlled breathing and upright standing. Differences between EBV CF+ and EBV CF− were assessed by simple and multiple linear regression adjusting for sex as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study is part of the CEBA-project (Chronic fatigue following acute Epstein-Barr virus infection in adolescents). The EBV CF+ group had significantly higher scores for all clinical symptoms. All markers of infection and most immune, neuroendocrine and autonomic markers were similar across the EBV CF+ and EBV CF− group. However, the EBV CF+ group had slightly higher serum C-reactive protein (0.48 vs 0.43 mg/L, p = 0.031, high-sensitive assay), total T cell (CD3+) count (median 1573 vs 1481 × 106 cells/L, p = 0.012), plasma norepinephrine (1420 vs 1113 pmol/L, p = 0.01) and plasma epinephrine (363 vs 237 nmol/L, p = 0.032); lower low-frequency:high frequency (LF/HF) ratio of heart rate variability at supine rest (0.63 vs 0.76, p = 0.008); and an attenuated decline in LF/HF ratio during controlled breathing (−0.