Trial lecture – time and place
See trial lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Trudie Chalder, King's College
- Second opponent: Knut-Arne Wensaas, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre
- Chair of the committee: Professor Harald Breivik, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
Professor Erik Thaulow, University of Oslo
Principal supervisor
Professor Vegard Bruun Bratholm Wyller, University of Oslo
Summary
Acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in adolescents is a known trigger for chronic fatigue (CF). Both the risk factors for developing CF, and changes when fatigue becomes a chronic condition is poorly described in the literature.
This thesis is built upon data from the CEBA-project (Chronic fatigue following acute Epstein-Barr virus infection), a prospective cohort study including a total of 200 adolescents with acute EBV infection and 70 healthy controls. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate fatigue and fatigue development in adolescents after acute EBV infection.
Symptoms, mood and physical activity during acute EBV infection were identified as the main risk factors for developing CF. Surprisingly, viral load did not seem to contribute to current fatigue, nor as a risk factor. In addition, there was a general scarcity of associations between fatigue and immune response markers. Cognitive dysfunction and autonomic alterations seemed to be a consequence of CF. Disregarding the cause, fatigue was highly associated with quality of life, underlining the importance of treatment to adolescents struggling with CF.
Additional information
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