Chronic fatigue syndrome: physical and cardiovascular deconditioning

摘要

We investigated whether chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients have physical and/or cardiovascular de-conditioning, in 273 CFS patients and 72 healthy controls. We used laboratory tests to assess haematological, biochemical, endocrinological and immunological systems. The cardiovascular system was assessed by echocardiography and carotid echo- graphy. Body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). CFS patients had smaller left ventricular end systolic (p<0.001) and diastolic (p=0.008) dimensions but thinner posterior walls (p=0.02) than corresponding values in healthy controls.