Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Saul, J Philip, Walløe, Lars et al. · European journal of applied physiology · 2008 · DOI
This study looked at how the bodies of adolescents with ME/CFS respond to physical stress, specifically when lying down while pressure is applied to the legs and while squeezing a hand grip. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients had higher heart rates and stress hormone levels even at rest, and their cardiovascular system overreacted to the leg pressure test but underreacted during the hand grip exercise compared to healthy teenagers.
Orthostatic intolerance and cardiovascular symptoms are common in ME/CFS, and this study provides objective physiological evidence of dysregulated sympathetic nervous system function in adolescent patients. Understanding these cardiovascular mechanisms may help explain exercise intolerance and symptom exacerbation, potentially informing future treatments targeting autonomic dysfunction.
This study cannot prove that sympathetic dysfunction causes ME/CFS—only that an association exists. The small sample size (n=15) limits generalizability to all adolescents with ME/CFS. The cross-sectional design does not establish whether cardiovascular dysregulation precedes ME/CFS onset or develops as a consequence of illness.
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
Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Saul, J Philip, Walløe, Lars, & Thaulow, Erik (2008). Sympathetic cardiovascular control during orthostatic stress and isometric exercise in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.. European journal of applied physiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0634-1
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wyller-2008-sympathetic-cardiovascular,
author = {Wyller, Vegard Bruun and Saul, J Philip and Walløe, Lars and Thaulow, Erik},
title = {Sympathetic cardiovascular control during orthostatic stress and isometric exercise in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {European journal of applied physiology},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1007/s00421-007-0634-1},
note = {PubMed: 18066580},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wyller-2008-sympathetic-cardiovascular},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wyller-2008-sympathetic-cardiovascular
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