The Inflammation-Pain-Fatigue Triad

Two common symptoms which are present in acute or chronic high-grade inflammatory diseases such as infection, rheumatoid diseases or cancers are fatigue and pain. These symptons are often associated with depression. Several markers of inflammation have been highlighted in all such diseases and among various and complex mechanisms of action, one common link between fatigue and pain is inflammation. Some inflammatory cytokines are found to be associated with all these three domains - ie fatigue, depression and pain. Thus inflammation is a potential link for all three.

This review article explores in detail the triad of inflammation-pain-fatigue in the context of various medical conditions.