Saisch, S G, Deale, A, Gardner, W N et al. · The Quarterly journal of medicine · 1994
Researchers tested whether people with ME/CFS tend to overbreathe (hyperventilate), which could contribute to their fatigue. They measured breathing patterns in 31 patients at rest, during exercise, and after voluntary heavy breathing. Most patients did not show signs of hyperventilation, and those who did usually had other explanations like asthma or panic disorder.
This study challenges the hypothesis that abnormal breathing patterns drive ME/CFS fatigue, which has implications for treatment approaches. Understanding whether hyperventilation is causal, secondary, or incidental helps clarify ME/CFS pathophysiology and guides clinical management strategies.
This study does not prove hyperventilation never occurs in ME/CFS or that it plays no role in any patient's symptoms; it only shows it is not a universal or primary feature. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or longitudinal patterns. Small sample size and the exclusion of patients unable to exercise may introduce selection bias.
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
Saisch, S G, Deale, A, Gardner, W N, & Wessely, S (1994). Hyperventilation and chronic fatigue syndrome.. The Quarterly journal of medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8140219/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-saisch-1994-hyperventilation-chronic,
author = {Saisch, S G and Deale, A and Gardner, W N and Wessely, S},
title = {Hyperventilation and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {The Quarterly journal of medicine},
year = {1994},
note = {PubMed: 8140219},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/saisch-1994-hyperventilation-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/saisch-1994-hyperventilation-chronic
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