Date sent:      	Tue, 18 Jul 2000 


Salivary gland changes in chronic fatigue syndrome: A case-controlled
preliminary histologic study. 

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2000 Jul;90(1):82-87  
(ISSN: 1079-2104) 

Woo SB; Schacterle RS; Komaroff AL; Gallagher GT 

HARVARD SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE AND BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL,
Assistant Professor, Dept of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences,
Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital., Research
Assistant, Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital.,
Professor, Dept of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's
Hospital., Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic
Sciences, Harvard School of Dental Medicine. 

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this preliminary study is to compare labial
salivary gland changes of 11 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with
control subjects.Study Design: Changes in labial salivary glands were
graded from 0 to 3+ for acinar dilatation, ductal dilatation, periductal
fibrosis, plasmacytic infiltrate, lymphocytic infiltrate, mast cell
infiltrate, and lymphocytic aggregates or foci. 

RESULTS: Four of the 11
subjects had 2+ to 3+ changes in at least 4 of the 7 parameters examined.
Only the presence of mast cells was statistically significant between the
2 groups. Two of these 4 patients had 1 lymphocytic focus per 4 mm(2) of
tissue. 

CONCLUSIONS: The salivary gland changes in patients with chronic
fatigue syndrome show varying degrees of ductal and acinar dilatation,
periductal fibrosis, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, and occasional
lymphocytic foci, all suggestive of primary gland damage. The one
parameter that showed statistical significance was the presence of mast
cells (Fisher exact test, 0