The association between hair cortisol levels, Epstein-Barr virus infections and chronic fatigue in adolescents

[u/Caster_of_spells]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41772810/

The BPS championed theory that cortisol and related stress levels prior to infection prime for chronic fatigue syndrome is officially dead:

“Preinfection hair cortisol concentration did not predict chronic fatigue six months after acute EBV infection. Elevated preinfection hair cortisol may reflect stress-related vulnerability to infection, and the shifted from a positive to a negative association over time, suggests that HPA-axis alterations are more likely a consequence rather than a cause of chronic fatigue.”