Sickness behavior may follow fracture as well as infection

Abstract

Sickness behavior, induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines in the early stages of an infection, is well known. A case report of three fracture patients, who were not taking analgesic medication, suggests that the initial symptoms experienced, particularly fatigue and mood changes, mirror those of the sickness behavior of infection. A mini-review only found studies investigating one physical, mental or emotional symptom in fracture patients and none drew a parallel with sickness behavior, suggesting that this is a hitherto unrecognised phenomenon which would benefit from further investigation.

Keywords

• Fracture
• Sickness behavior
• Fatigue
• Depression