Bazelmans, E, Bleijenberg, G, Vercoulen, J H et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 1997 · DOI
This study looked at whether rapid, shallow breathing (hyperventilation) causes ME/CFS or makes it worse. Researchers compared ME/CFS patients with people who hyperventilate but don't have ME/CFS, and healthy people. While ME/CFS patients did show signs of hyperventilation more often than healthy controls, having hyperventilation didn't actually make their fatigue or other symptoms worse.
This study addresses a common theory about ME/CFS causation and helps clarify whether treating hyperventilation alone would substantially improve ME/CFS symptoms. Understanding whether hyperventilation is a cause or a secondary effect matters for developing effective treatment strategies and managing patient expectations.
This study does not prove that hyperventilation is completely irrelevant to ME/CFS symptoms in all patients. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causation, and the finding that hyperventilation is an epiphenomenon does not explain why hyperventilation occurs more frequently in ME/CFS patients. It also doesn't rule out that hyperventilation might contribute to symptom worsening in specific patient subgroups.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Bazelmans, E, Bleijenberg, G, Vercoulen, J H, van der Meer, J W, & Folgering, H (1997). The chronic fatigue syndrome and hyperventilation.. Journal of psychosomatic research. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3999(97)00169-4
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-bazelmans-1997-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Bazelmans, E and Bleijenberg, G and Vercoulen, J H and van der Meer, J W and Folgering, H},
title = {The chronic fatigue syndrome and hyperventilation.},
journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1016/s0022-3999(97)00169-4},
note = {PubMed: 9330236},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bazelmans-1997-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bazelmans-1997-chronic-fatigue
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.