Blood flow and muscle metabolism in chronic fatigue syndrome

The purpose of this study was to determine if chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is associated with reduced blood flow and oxidative delivery to skeletal muscle. Patients with CFS according to CDC (Center for Disease Control) criteria (n=19) were compared with normal sedentary subjects (n=11). Muscle blood flow was measured with Doppler ultrasound after cuff ischaemia and exercise. Muscle oxygen delivery was measured as the rate of post-exercise and post-ischaemic oxygen-haem resaturation. Oxygen-haem resaturation was measured in the medial gastrocnemius muscle using continuous wavelength near-IR spectroscopy. Muscle metabolism was measured using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy. CFS patients and controls were not different in the peak blood flow after cuff ischaemia, the rate of recovery of phosphocreatine after submaximal exercise, and the rate of recovery of oxygen saturation after cuff ischaemia. In conclusion, CFS patients showed no deficit in blood flow or oxidative metabolism. This suggests that CFS symptoms do not require abnormal peripheral function.

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Muscle metabolism with blood flow restriction in chronic fatigue syndrome

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00141.2003 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 96 (3) ◽

pp. 871-878 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Kevin K. McCully ◽

Sinclair Smith ◽

Sheeva Rajaei ◽

John S. Leigh ◽

Benjamin H. Natelson

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Oxygen Saturation ◽

Oxidative Metabolism ◽

Muscle Blood Flow ◽

Muscle Metabolism ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Medial Gastrocnemius ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Fatigue Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is associated with reduced blood flow and muscle oxidative metabolism. Patients with CFS according to Centers for Disease Control criteria ( n = 19) were compared with normal sedentary subjects ( n = 11). Muscle blood flow was measured in the femoral artery with Doppler ultrasound after exercise. Muscle metabolism was measured in the medial gastrocnemius muscle with 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Muscle oxygen saturation and blood volume were measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. CFS and controls were not different in hyperemic blood flow or phosphocreatine recovery rate. Cuff pressures of 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 mmHg were used to partially restrict blood flow during recovery. All pressures reduced blood flow and oxidative metabolism, with 90 mmHg reducing blood flow by 46% and oxidative metabolism by 30.7% in CFS patients. Hyperemic blood flow during partial cuff occlusion was significantly reduced in CFS patients ( P < 0.01), and recovery of oxygen saturation was slower ( P < 0.05). No differences were seen in the amount of reduction in metabolism with partially reduced blood flow. In conclusion, CFS patients showed evidence of reduced hyperemic flow and reduced oxygen delivery but no evidence that this impaired muscle metabolism. Thus CFS patients might have altered control of blood flow, but this is unlikely to influence muscle metabolism. Furthermore, abnormalities in muscle metabolism do not appear to be responsible for the CFS symptoms.

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Impaired oxygen delivery to muscle in chronic fatigue syndrome

Clinical Science ◽

10.1042/cs0970603 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 97 (5) ◽

pp. 603-608 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Kevin K. MCCULLY ◽

Benjamin H. NATELSON

Keyword(s):

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽

Time Constant ◽

Oxidative Metabolism ◽

Oxygen Delivery ◽

Specific Effect ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Medial Gastrocnemius ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Fatigue Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to determine if chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is associated with reduced oxygen delivery to muscles. Patients with CFS according to CDC (Center for Disease Control) criteria (n = 20) were compared with normal sedentary subjects (n = 12). Muscle oxygen delivery was measured as the rate of post-exercise and post-ischaemia oxygen-haem resaturation. Oxygen-haem resaturation was measured in the medial gastrocnemius muscle using continuous-wavelength near-IR spectroscopy. Phosphocreatine resynthesis was measured simultaneously using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The time constant of oxygen delivery was significantly reduced in CFS patients after exercise (46.5±16 s; mean±S.D.) compared with that in controls (29.4±6.9 s). The time constant of oxygen delivery was also reduced (20.0±12 s) compared with controls (12.0±2.8 s) after cuff ischaemia. Oxidative metabolism was also reduced by 20% in CFS patients, and a significant correlation was found between oxidative metabolism and recovery of oxygen delivery. In conclusion, oxygen delivery was reduced in CFS patients compared with that in sedentary controls. This result is consistent with previous studies showing abnormal autonomic control of blood flow. Reduced oxidative delivery in CFS patients could be specifically related to CFS, or could be a non-specific effect of reduced activity levels in these patients. While these results suggest that reduced oxygen delivery could result in reduced oxidative metabolism and muscle fatigue, further studies will be needed to address this issue.

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