scholarly journals Hand grip strength and fatigability: correlation with clinical parameters and diagnostic suitability in ME/CFS

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianka Jäkel ◽  
Claudia Kedor ◽  
Patricia Grabowski ◽  
Kirsten Wittke ◽  
Silvia Thiel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Quadriceps Strength ◽  
Muscular Fatigue ◽  
Clinical Parameters ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Functional Measure

Abstract Background Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex and debilitating disease accompanied by muscular fatigue and pain. A functional measure to assess muscle fatigability of ME/CFS patients is, however, not established in clinical routine. The aim of this study is to evaluate by assessing repeat maximum handgrip strength (HGS), muscle fatigability as a diagnostic tool and its correlation with clinical parameters. Methods We assessed the HGS of 105 patients with ME/CFS, 18 patients with Cancer related fatigue (CRF) and 66 healthy controls (HC) using an electric dynamometer assessing maximal (Fmax) and mean force (Fmean) of ten repetitive measurements. Results were correlated with clinical parameters, creatinine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Further, maximum isometric quadriceps strength measurement was conducted in eight ME/CFS patients and eight HC. Results ME/CFS patients have a significantly lower Fmax and Fmean HGS compared to HC (p < 0.0001). Further, Fatigue Ratio assessing decline in strength during repeat maximal HGS measurement (Fmax/Fmean) was higher (p ≤ 0.0012). The Recovery Ratio after an identical second testing 60 min later was significantly lower in ME/CFS compared to HC (Fmean2/Fmean1; p ≤ 0.0020). Lower HGS parameters correlated with severity of disease, post-exertional malaise and muscle pain and with higher CK and LDH levels after exertion. Conclusion Repeat HGS assessment is a sensitive diagnostic test to assess muscular fatigue and fatigability and an objective measure to assess disease severity in ME/CFS.

EEG-vigilance in patients with cancer-related fatigue syndrome in comparison to healthy controls

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Olbrich ◽  
F Eplinius ◽  
S Claus ◽  
C Sander ◽  
M Trenner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome

scholarly journals Accurate and Objective Determination of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Disease Severity with a Wearable Sensor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Turner Palombo ◽  
Andrea Campos ◽  
Suzanne D. Vernon ◽  
Shad Roundy
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Significant Measure

Abstract Background Approximately 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This disease negatively impacts patients’ ability to function, often resulting in difficulty maintaining employment, sustaining financial independence, engaging socially with others, and in particularly severe cases, consistently and adequately performing activities of daily living. The focus of this research was to develop a sensor-based method to measure upright activity defined as time with feet on the floor and referred to as UpTime, as an indicator of ME/CFS disease severity.Methods A commercially available inertial measurement unit (IMU), the Shimmer, was selected for this research. A Kalman filter was used to convert IMU data collected by the Shimmer to angle estimates. Angle estimate accuracy was confirmed by comparison to a motion capture system. Leg angle estimates were then converted to personalized daily UpTime scores using a critical angle of 39º from vertical to differentiate between upright (feet on the floor) and not upright. A six-day, case-control study with 15 subjects (five healthy controls, five moderate-level ME/CFS, and five severe-level ME/CFS) was conducted to determine the utility of UpTime for assessing disease severity.Results UpTime was found to be a significant measure of ME/CFS disease severity. Severely ill ME/CFS patients spend less than 20% of each day with feet on the floor. Moderately ill ME/CFS patients spend between 20–30% of each day with feet on the floor. Healthy controls have greater than 30% UpTime. IMU-measured UpTime was more precise than self-reported hours of upright activity which were over-estimated by patients.Conclusions UpTime is an accurate and objective measure of upright activity, a measure that can be used to assess disease severity in ME/CFS patients. Due to its ability to accurately monitor upright activity, UpTime can also be used as a reliable endpoint for evaluating ME/CFS treatment efficacy. Future studies with larger samples and extended data collection periods are required to fully confirm the use of UpTime as a measure of disease severity in ME/CFS. With the added perspective of large-scale studies, this sensor-based platform could provide a recovery path for individuals struggling with ME/CFS.

scholarly journals The Experience of Cancer-Related Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Qualitative and Comparative Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Bennett ◽  
David Goldstein ◽  
Michael Friedlander ◽  
Ian Hickie ◽  
Andrew Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome

scholarly journals Efficacy of Qigong Exercise for Treatment of Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Wang ◽  
Xueyan Huang ◽  
Yeqi Wu ◽  
Dai Sun
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
China National Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Standard Mean Difference ◽  
Significant Difference

Objective: Several studies suggested that Qigong exercise (QE) can relieve fatigue in patients diagnosed with various diseases. Our review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of QE for alleviating fatigue.Methods: A related literature search was performed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP data bases from inception to November 2020. Information on fatigue, malaise, tiredness, and Qigong research data was collected.Results: Sixteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were reported in patients with cancer (n = 4), chronic fatigue syndrome (n = 2), and other diseases (n = 10). The QE groups showed significant improvements in total fatigue intensity [15 RCTs, p &lt; 0.00001; standard mean difference (SMD) −0.69 (−0.95 to −0.44)]. The QE groups did not show significant improvement in quality of life [4 RCTs, p = 0.08; SMD 0.53 (−0.07 to 1.14)]. The statistically significant difference of the subgroup analyses (different primary diseases, QE types, and study quality) also remained unchanged.Conclusion: The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that QE may be beneficial for improving fatigue in patients diagnosed with various diseases. Considering the limitations of the study, we draw a very cautious conclusion regarding the resulting estimate of the effect. Further studies are warranted to better understand the benefits of QE in primary medical care.

scholarly journals Accurate and objective determination of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome disease severity with a wearable sensor

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Turner Palombo ◽  
Andrea Campos ◽  
Suzanne D. Vernon ◽  
Shad Roundy
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Significant Measure

Abstract Background Approximately 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This disease negatively impacts patients’ ability to function, often resulting in difficulty maintaining employment, sustaining financial independence, engaging socially with others, and in particularly severe cases, consistently and adequately performing activities of daily living. The focus of this research was to develop a sensor-based method to measure upright activity defined as time with feet on the floor and referred to as UpTime, as an indicator of ME/CFS disease severity. Methods A commercially available inertial measurement unit (IMU), the Shimmer, was selected for this research. A Kalman filter was used to convert IMU data collected by the Shimmer to angle estimates. Angle estimate accuracy was confirmed by comparison to a motion capture system. Leg angle estimates were then converted to personalized daily UpTime scores using a critical angle of 39º from vertical to differentiate between upright (feet on the floor) and not upright. A 6-day, case–control study with 15 subjects (five healthy controls, five moderate-level ME/CFS, and five severe-level ME/CFS) was conducted to determine the utility of UpTime for assessing disease severity. Results UpTime was found to be a significant measure of ME/CFS disease severity. Severely ill ME/CFS patients spend less than 20% of each day with feet on the floor. Moderately ill ME/CFS patients spend between 20–30% of each day with feet on the floor. Healthy controls have greater than 30% UpTime. IMU-measured UpTime was more precise than self-reported hours of upright activity which were over-estimated by patients. Conclusions UpTime is an accurate and objective measure of upright activity, a measure that can be used to assess disease severity in ME/CFS patients. Due to its ability to accurately monitor upright activity, UpTime can also be used as a reliable endpoint for evaluating ME/CFS treatment efficacy. Future studies with larger samples and extended data collection periods are required to fully confirm the use of UpTime as a measure of disease severity in ME/CFS. With the added perspective of large-scale studies, this sensor-based platform could provide a recovery path for individuals struggling with ME/CFS.

scholarly journals Accurate and Objective Determination of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Disease Severity with a Wearable Sensor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Turner Palombo ◽  
Andrea Campos ◽  
Suzanne D. Vernon ◽  
Shad Roundy
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Significant Measure

Abstract Background Approximately 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This disease negatively impacts patients’ ability to function, often resulting in difficulty maintaining employment, sustaining financial independence, engaging socially with others, and in particularly severe cases, consistently and adequately performing activities of daily living. The focus of this research was to develop a sensor-based method to measure upright activity defined as time with feet on the floor and referred to as UpTime, as an indicator of ME/CFS disease severity. Methods A commercially available inertial measurement unit (IMU), the Shimmer, was selected for this research. A Kalman filter was used to convert IMU data collected by the Shimmer to angle estimates. Angle estimate accuracy was confirmed by comparison to a motion capture system. Leg angle estimates were then converted to personalized daily UpTime scores using a critical angle of 39º from vertical to differentiate between upright (feet on the floor) and not upright. A six-day, case-control study with 15 subjects (five healthy controls, five moderate-level ME/CFS, and five severe-level ME/CFS) was conducted to determine the utility of UpTime for assessing disease severity. Results UpTime was found to be a significant measure of ME/CFS disease severity. Severely ill ME/CFS patients spend less than 20% of each day with feet on the floor. Moderately ill ME/CFS patients spend between 20-30% of each day with feet on the floor. Healthy controls have greater than 30% UpTime. IMU-measured UpTime was more precise than self-reported hours of upright activity which were over-estimated by patients. Conclusions UpTime is an accurate and objective measure of upright activity, a measure that can be used to assess disease severity in ME/CFS patients. Due to its ability to accurately monitor upright activity, UpTime can also be used as a reliable endpoint for evaluating ME/CFS treatment efficacy. Future studies with larger samples and extended data collection periods are required to fully confirm the use of UpTime as a measure of disease severity in ME/CFS. With the added perspective of large-scale studies, this sensor-based platform could provide a recovery path for individuals struggling with ME/CFS.

scholarly journals Chronic fatigue syndrome and an illness-focused approach to care: controversy, morality and paradox

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sharpe ◽  
Monica Greco
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Common Symptom ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Established Disease ◽  
Contemporary Medicine ◽  
Illness And Disease

Contemporary medicine distinguishes between illness and disease. Illness refers to a person’s subjective experience of symptoms; disease refers to objective bodily pathology. For many illnesses, medicine has made great progress in finding and treating associated disease. However, not all illnesses are successfully relieved by treating the disease. In some such cases, the patient’s suffering can only be reduced by treatment that is focused on the illness itself. Chronic disabling fatigue is a common symptom of illness, for which disease-focused treatment is often not effective, but for which illness-focused treatments (psychological or behavioural) often are. In this article, we explore a controversy surrounding illness-focused treatments for fatigue. We do this by contrasting their acceptance by people whose fatigue is associated with a disease (using the example of cancer-related fatigue) with their controversial rejection by some people whose fatigue is not associated with an established disease (chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS, sometimes called ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis)). In order to understand this difference in acceptability we consider the differing moral connotations of illness and disease and then go on to examine the limitations of the concepts of illness and disease themselves. We conclude that a general acceptance of illness-focused treatments by all who might benefit from them will require a major long-term change in thinking about illness, but that improvements to the care of individual patients can be made today.

scholarly journals Commonalities in the Features of Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Evidence for Stress-Induced Phenotype Instability?

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 691
Author(s):  
Andrej Rusin ◽  
Colin Seymour ◽  
Alan Cocchetto ◽  
Carmel Mothersill
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Response To Stress

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) are syndromes with considerable overlap with respect to symptoms. There have been many studies that have compared the two conditions, and some of this research suggests that the etiologies of the conditions are linked in some cases. In this narrative review, CFS/ME and cancer are introduced, along with their known and putative mechanistic connections to multiple stressors including ionizing radiation. Next, we summarize findings from the literature that suggest the involvement of HPA-axis dysfunction, the serotonergic system, cytokines and inflammation, metabolic insufficiency and mitochondrial dysfunction, and genetic changes in CRF and CFS/ME. We further suspect that the manifestation of fatigue in both diseases and its causes could indicate that CRF and CFS/ME lie on a continuum of potential biological effects which occur in response to stress. The response to this stress likely varies depending on predisposing factors such as genetic background. Finally, future research ideas are suggested with a focus on determining if common biomarkers exist in CFS/ME patients and those afflicted with CRF. Both CFS/ME and CRF are relatively heterogenous syndromes, however, it is our hope that this review assists in future research attempting to elucidate the commonalities between CRF and CFS/ME.

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