The aim of this study was to compare the degree of inflammation present in acute sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and non-CFS control subjects by measuring cytokine concentrations in nasal lavage fluids. The concentrations of total protein (TP; Lowry assay), nerve growth factor (NGF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, and interleukin (IL)-8 were measured by ELISA in nasal lavage fluids from acute sinusitis (n = 13), active allergic rhinitis (n = 16), CFS (n = 95), and non-CFS (n = 89) subjects. CFS and non-CFS groups were subdivided further using allergy skin test and rhinitis score results. Acute sinusitis subjects had significantly higher TP (p = 0.011, ANOVA), TNF-alpha (p = 0.00071), and IL-8 (p = 0.0000027) concentrations and IL-8/TP ratios (p = 0.0030) than the other three patient groups. There were no differences based on skin test or rhinitis score severity within either the CFS or non-CFS groups. The mucopurulent discharge of acute sinusitis contained significantly higher TNF-alpha and IL-8. Neutrophils were a likely source for these cytokines. There were no differences between CFS and non-CFS subjects, making it unlikely that the rhinitis of CFS has an inflammatory component.
