Peckerman, Arnold, Dahl, Kristina, Chemitiganti, Rahul et al. · Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical · 2003 · DOI
This study looked at how the bodies of Gulf War veterans with chronic fatigue respond to stress, particularly focusing on heart rate and blood pressure changes. The researchers found that veterans who had both chronic fatigue and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) showed unusual cardiovascular responses to mental tasks and changes in position, such as lower blood pressure increases and slower recovery. These abnormal responses were much less pronounced in fatigued veterans without PTSD, suggesting that PTSD may be an important factor in how the body reacts to stress in this population.
Understanding how PTSD affects the autonomic nervous system in ME/CFS patients is important because it may explain some of the physical symptoms and stress responses these patients experience. This study suggests that treating PTSD in fatigued Gulf War veterans might improve their cardiovascular regulation and reduce some somatic complaints, offering a potential therapeutic target.
This study does not prove that PTSD causes ME/CFS or its cardiovascular abnormalities, only that PTSD is associated with more severe dysregulation in this population. The cross-sectional design means we cannot determine whether PTSD contributed to the development of fatiguing illness or resulted from it. The findings are specific to Gulf War veterans and may not generalize to ME/CFS patients without war-related trauma.
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
Peckerman, Arnold, Dahl, Kristina, Chemitiganti, Rahul, LaManca, John J, Ottenweller, John E, & Natelson, Benjamin H (2003). Effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on cardiovascular stress responses in Gulf War veterans with fatiguing illness.. Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1566-0702(03)00155-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-peckerman-2003-effects-posttraumatic,
author = {Peckerman, Arnold and Dahl, Kristina and Chemitiganti, Rahul and LaManca, John J and Ottenweller, John E and Natelson, Benjamin H},
title = {Effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on cardiovascular stress responses in Gulf War veterans with fatiguing illness.},
journal = {Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1016/S1566-0702(03)00155-3},
note = {PubMed: 14614966},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/peckerman-2003-effects-posttraumatic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/peckerman-2003-effects-posttraumatic
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