Associations between pro-inflammatory cytokines and fatigue in pregnant women

Abstract

Background. Fatigue is one of the most prevalent symptoms among pregnant women. In patients with various diseases, pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with fatigue; however, such associations are unknown in pregnant women. Objectives. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between proinflammatory cytokines and prenatal fatigue. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 271 pregnant Chinese women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Patient-reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) was used to evaluate women's prenatal fatigue. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the serum concentrations of four proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8), were measured. The data was analyzed by correlation analysis and general linear regression analysis. Results. In this sample, the mean (standard deviation) of fatigue scores was 51.94 (10.79). TNF-α (r =0:21, p<0:001), IL-6 (r =0:134, p=0:027) and IL-8 (r =0:209, pD0:001) were positively correlated to prenatal fatigue, although IL-1β was not. TNF- β (β =0:263, p<0:001), along with sleep quality (β =0:27, p<0:001) and depression (β =0:376, p<0:001) independently predicted prenatal fatigue. Conclusions. TNF-α was identified as an independent biomarker for prenatal fatigue in our study. Reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines may be a unique method for lowering prenatal fatigue and, consequently, enhancing mother and child health.