Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection and Risk of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Publisher Pubmed



Mozhgani SH^{1, 2} ; Rajabi F³ ; Qurbani M³ ; Erfani Y⁴ ; Yaslianifard S^{2, 5} ; Moosavi A⁶ ; Pourrostami K⁷ ; Baradaran Bagheri A⁸ ; Soleimani A⁹ ; Behzadian F¹⁰ ; Safavi M¹¹ ; Rezaei F³
Source: Intervirology Published:2022

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a neurological disease that is accompanied by excessive fatigue or tiredness. There are several reports confirming the association between human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection and CFS illness. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to integrate the information of published studies with regard to this association until May 2021. Methods: The literature search was based on keywords including chronic fatigue syndrome and HHV 6,chronic fatigue syndrome and HHV-6,chronic fatigue syndrome and HHV6,chronic fatigue syndrome and Herpes virus 6,and chronic fatigue syndrome and Herpesvirus6in MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, and EMBASE. Results: The literature search identified 17 studies to be included in the systematic review and 11 studies in meta-analysis. The symmetry funnel plot and Egger's test (p value = 0.2) identified no publication bias among studies. Moreover, the low level of I2 revealed homogeneity across studies. Discussion: In conclusion, the association between the HHV-6 infection and CFS incidence was substantiated. However, the results of this study also suggest that further comprehensive studies are needed to solidify the association between HHV-6 and CFS. Future studies should consider additional factors that may have affected the significance of such a correlation. © 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.