POST-EXERTIONAL FATIGUE CLINICAL TRIAL
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm?id=8589&T=CFIDS_FM&B1=EM010208C
U. of Calgary, Canada, is Recruiting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients for Study of Muscle and Nervous System Mechanisms in Post-Exertion Fatigue - Hopes to Provide Definitive Test for ME/CFS
by University of Calgary
ImmuneSupport.com
12-19-2007
The researchers are looking for people to participate in this
experimental trial - both people diagnosed with ME/CFS and healthy
subjects (who do not exercise regularly) to act as a control group. If
you would be interested in participating, see the contact info at the
end of this news release.
CALGARY, CANADA 12/18/07 - One of the most difficult things for people
suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is that many believe the
condition to be a psychological, not physical affliction. New research
by the Faculty of Kinesiology hopes to measure one of the syndrome's
most obvious symptoms - information that could help doctors in the
diagnosis of CFS.
"Diagnosis of the syndrome generally follows eliminating every other
possible cause, which leads some to speculate that the condition isn't
real," says Dr. Brian MacIntosh, PhD. "One thing we know is that CFS
sufferers feel profound fatigue and worsening of other symptoms
following even moderate physical activity. Using our expertise in the
field of exercise physiology we believe we can measure this post
exertion malaise and say with certainty if an individual has recovered
from exercise or if that activity is making them even more fatigued."
MacIntosh, who is the Faculty of Kinesiology's Associate Dean of
Graduate Studies, is an expert in the area of muscle fatigue. Much of
his research has centered on high-performance athletes in peak
physical condition, however he says that this research fits in well
with his overall area of interest. "The tools we have developed in
high performance sport are perfectly suitedto track muscle fatigue in
this application so without question we will be able to get some
concrete answers," he says.
The research trial will put CFS patients on a stationary bike to
perform a VO2 Max test - similar to trials used to evaluate the
fitness level of professional athletes. The individual will pedal to
the point of fatigue, at which point researchers will take several
measurements including a blood sample in which lactate will be
quantified. The next day the patient will return and follow the same
workout protocol.
"Most healthy individuals should be able to easily match their
performance from the previous day," MacIntosh explains. "Since CFS
patients by definition report profound fatigue from even moderate
physical exertion and take greater than 24 hours to recover, we would
expect to see a decrease in their physical performance and we should
be able to measure that in several ways."
This work may shed some light on whether the fatigue experienced by
people with CFS is primarily in the muscles or in the nervous system.
MacIntosh believes that the results of this work could lead to a
definitive diagnosis of CFS, giving another tool in the otherwise
limited toolbox of diagnostic tests and perhaps, more importantly,
shed some light on the broader issue of human muscle fatigue.
"We've all experienced fatigue in our lives," says MacIntosh. "For
example when we have the flu or any similar illness, we feel that
fatigue makes our arms and legs feel like they're made of lead... I'm
hoping that this research may lead to a greater understanding of human
muscle fatigue in general."
Dr. Macintosh is performing this trial in collaboration with
Psychiatrist Dr. Eleanor Stein. The researchers are looking for people
to participate in the experimental trial - both people diagnosed with
CFS and healthy subjects (who do not exercise regularly) to act as a
control group.
If you are interested in taking part in the study, please e-mail:
research.macintosh@ucalgary.ca
For more information contact:
Don McSwiney
Director of Communications, Faculty of Kinesiology
University of Calgary
Phone: (403) 220-7652
Cell: (403) 852-7652
2 comments:
Considering how totally wiped out you become from just walking to the bathroom and back when you are having a bad flare up, wouldn't keeping the CFS patients in the hospital overnight make more sense than sending them home? What if they are too exhausted to even walk to the car to get back there the next day, even if someone else is driving?
"wouldn't keeping the CFS patients in the hospital overnight make more sense than sending them home? What if they are too exhausted to even walk to the car to get back there the next day, even if someone else is driving?"
That's one of the problems with CFS research -- they get people who are relatively healthy, because those of us who are sicker are unable to get to and from the trial.
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