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 →
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