snowathlete
Senior Member
- Messages
- 5,374
- Location
- UK
Post-exertional Symptomology In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
This is not a new study. It's from 2007, but I can't find it talked about anywhere on here. Thought it was probably worthy of a discussion...particularly as there seems to be a growing focus by some ME/CFS researchers to do exercise studies in the disease.
Stiles, Travis L.; Snell, Christopher R.; Stevens, Staci R.; Moran,
Megan; VanNess, J. Mark (CFS Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: Volume
39(5) Supplement, May 2007, p S445
Symptom exacerbation following physical stress has been documented in illnesses such
as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Similar
phenomenology has been reported in CFS but is not well understood.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study was to explore symptom exacerbation following an exercise
challenge in CFS patients relative to a sedentary control population.
METHODS:
Forty female subjects (n=40), 20 CFS and 20 matched sedentary controls served as
subjects.
All participants underwent a graded maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX).
Two questionnaires, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and a series of open-ended questions, were
completed 7 days after the exercise challenge to assess post-exertional differences
between groups.
The open-ended questions pertained to symptoms experienced following the test and time
taken to recover from any testing effects.
SF-36 data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis.
Written questionnaire responses were evaluated by determining recovery time in days as
well as number and type of symptoms experienced.
RESULTS:
SF-36 analysis found statistical significance across all 8 health domains measured
between groups (p <.01), but no effects were found for the exercise test.
Analysis of the open-ended questionnaires revealed that within 24 hours of the exercise
challenge, 85% of controls indicated full recovery in contrast to 0% of CFS patients.
The remaining 15% of controls recovered within 48 hours of the test as opposed to only
one CFS patient.
Clear differences in number and type of reported symptoms were also found between
groups.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results of this study indicate that CFS patients suffer symptom exacerbation
following physical stress. As with MS, lupus and RA, post-exertional symptom
exacerbation appears to be both a real and incapacitating feature of the syndrome.
The delayed recovery response evoked by a single bout of exercise stress is distinctly
different from that of sedentary controls.
This is not a new study. It's from 2007, but I can't find it talked about anywhere on here. Thought it was probably worthy of a discussion...particularly as there seems to be a growing focus by some ME/CFS researchers to do exercise studies in the disease.
Stiles, Travis L.; Snell, Christopher R.; Stevens, Staci R.; Moran,
Megan; VanNess, J. Mark (CFS Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: Volume
39(5) Supplement, May 2007, p S445
Symptom exacerbation following physical stress has been documented in illnesses such
as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Similar
phenomenology has been reported in CFS but is not well understood.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study was to explore symptom exacerbation following an exercise
challenge in CFS patients relative to a sedentary control population.
METHODS:
Forty female subjects (n=40), 20 CFS and 20 matched sedentary controls served as
subjects.
All participants underwent a graded maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX).
Two questionnaires, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and a series of open-ended questions, were
completed 7 days after the exercise challenge to assess post-exertional differences
between groups.
The open-ended questions pertained to symptoms experienced following the test and time
taken to recover from any testing effects.
SF-36 data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis.
Written questionnaire responses were evaluated by determining recovery time in days as
well as number and type of symptoms experienced.
RESULTS:
SF-36 analysis found statistical significance across all 8 health domains measured
between groups (p <.01), but no effects were found for the exercise test.
Analysis of the open-ended questionnaires revealed that within 24 hours of the exercise
challenge, 85% of controls indicated full recovery in contrast to 0% of CFS patients.
The remaining 15% of controls recovered within 48 hours of the test as opposed to only
one CFS patient.
Clear differences in number and type of reported symptoms were also found between
groups.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results of this study indicate that CFS patients suffer symptom exacerbation
following physical stress. As with MS, lupus and RA, post-exertional symptom
exacerbation appears to be both a real and incapacitating feature of the syndrome.
The delayed recovery response evoked by a single bout of exercise stress is distinctly
different from that of sedentary controls.