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Does the stressed patient with chronic fatigue syndrome hyperventilate?

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine volume 3, Article number: 70 (1996) Cite this article

Abstract

Because the symptoms of acute hyperventilation (e.g., fatigue, headaches) and the complaints of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are similar, a relation may exist beiween these conditions. This study attempted to identify whether patients with CFS hyperventilate while breathing quietly or under stress. Two participant groups were compared: One comprised 10 patienls who met the established criteria for CFS; the other comprised 9 control participants matched to patients with respect to age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Participants sat and breathed quietly through a mouthpiece for the entire study. Minute ventilation (Vc), end-tidal CO2 (Pc1CO2), and heart rale were monitored before, during, and after presentation of psychosocial and chemical (inspiration of 5% C02 + 95% 02) stressors. Two psychological stressors were used: a computational and a socioevalualive task. To evaluate each patient’s perception of dyspnea, a modified Borg scale questionnaire was administered, All the variables measured except Pc,CO2; were similar in patients and normals before stressors; PcCO2 of participants was significantly less than controls (p > .025). Vc, Borg scores, and PcCO2 were not altered by psychological stress; respiratory rate did increase significantly during stress but only for the control group, In contrast, increases in heart rate occurred more consistently in the patient group than in controls, Ventilatory output did not differ between groups during CO2 stimulation. These data show that patients with CFS arc hypocapnic at rest. We define normal ventilation as eucapnia; therefore, patients with CFS hyperventilate. However, because Vr during tidal hrealhing as well as the ventilatory responses to both CO2 and (lab stressors were similar in patients and controls, the reason for hyperventilation is unclear.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine (Pulmonary) and the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Center, University of Medicine and Denlistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, 1-354, 150 Bergen Street, 07l03-24(X), Newark, NJ, USA

    Marc H. Lavietes

  2. Department of Neuroseiences and the Chronie Fatigue Syndrome Center, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Benjamin H. Natelson, Douglas L. Cordero, Steven P. Ellis & Walter N. Tapp

Authors
  1. Marc H. Lavietes
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  2. Benjamin H. Natelson
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  3. Douglas L. Cordero
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  4. Steven P. Ellis
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  5. Walter N. Tapp
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Additional information

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Center Gram UOIA t -32247.

We thank Mictiele Fantasia and Waldo Duran for their participation in this project.

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Lavietes, M.H., Natelson, B.H., Cordero, D.L. et al. Does the stressed patient with chronic fatigue syndrome hyperventilate?. Int. J. Behav. Med. 3, 70 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0301_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0301_6

Key words

  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • hypocapnea
  • stress
  • reactivit