Lavietes, M H, Natelson, B H, Cordero, D L et al. · International journal of behavioral medicine · 1996 · DOI
This study investigated whether people with ME/CFS tend to breathe too quickly or shallowly when under stress, a condition called hyperventilation. Researchers observed patients with ME/CFS and measured their breathing patterns to see if stress triggered abnormal breathing that might contribute to their symptoms. The study helps clarify whether breathing problems are part of what causes ME/CFS symptoms.
Understanding whether ME/CFS patients hyperventilate under stress could explain some symptoms like dizziness, chest pain, and cognitive dysfunction, and might point toward helpful treatment approaches. This research helps distinguish ME/CFS-specific physiological responses from general anxiety responses, which is important for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
This study does not prove that hyperventilation causes ME/CFS or that it is the primary mechanism behind patients' fatigue and other symptoms. The observational design cannot establish causation—it only describes whether an association exists. It also does not determine whether any hyperventilation observed is unique to ME/CFS or occurs in other conditions.
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
Lavietes, M H, Natelson, B H, Cordero, D L, Ellis, S P, & Tapp, W N (1996). Does the stressed patient with chronic fatigue syndrome hyperventilate?. International journal of behavioral medicine. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0301_6
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lavietes-1996-does-stressed,
author = {Lavietes, M H and Natelson, B H and Cordero, D L and Ellis, S P and Tapp, W N},
title = {Does the stressed patient with chronic fatigue syndrome hyperventilate?},
journal = {International journal of behavioral medicine},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1207/s15327558ijbm0301_6},
note = {PubMed: 16250768},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lavietes-1996-does-stressed},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lavietes-1996-does-stressed
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