Hoad, A, Spickett, G, Elliott, J et al. · QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians · 2008 · DOI
This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have a condition called POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), which causes the heart to beat much faster when standing up. Researchers tested 59 ME/CFS patients and compared them to 52 healthy people, measuring heart rate changes when they stood up. They found that 27% of ME/CFS patients had POTS, compared to only 9% of healthy controls, suggesting this condition is common but often missed in ME/CFS.
Many ME/CFS patients experience dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and fatigue when standing—symptoms that may reflect POTS rather than ME/CFS alone. Identifying POTS in ME/CFS patients is important because it may be treatable with specific interventions, potentially improving quality of life. This study challenges current diagnostic guidelines and suggests clinicians should routinely assess standing heart rate responses in ME/CFS patients.
This study does not prove that POTS causes ME/CFS or that treating POTS will cure ME/CFS. It does not establish whether POTS is a primary feature of ME/CFS, a separate coexisting condition, or a consequence of deconditioning from the illness. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality or mechanism.
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 →
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.