Even slight muscular effort amplifies the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a new American study.
Published on July 18 on the PLoS ONE magazine, this study was conducted on 80 participants aged 16 to 55, including 60 of them diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and 20 others in good health. The objective was to assess their level of fatigue, pain, and the intensity of the usual symptoms of the disease such as dizziness, difficulty concentrating and headaches.
Lying on an examination table for 15 minutes, participants were asked to lift their right legs every five minutes so that they felt slight pressure on the muscles and nerves.
Participants with CFS reported already experiencing pain and difficulty concentrating immediately after exercise.
After 24 hours, researchers at the American universities of Alabama and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore noted an even greater severity of common symptoms of the disease.
In conclusion, it turns out that in addition to activities of daily living, certain types of exercise can trigger symptoms of chronic fatigue immediately.
CFS, a disease that is still relatively unknown
Identified in the 1980s, the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome have not yet been clarified, immune dysfunctions have nevertheless been identified in those affected.
Known symptoms can range from simple fatigue, to problems with memory, sleep and concentration. Muscle, neck and joint pain are also common.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers it to be a serious neurological disease. And while many treatments attempt to soothe those affected by it, few do so in any meaningful way.
Chronic fatigue syndrome still affects 17 million people, or 1 to 2% of the world’s population.
An American study, published in February 2015 in the journal Science Advances, would have discovered biological markers in the blood of patients during the first three years of the disease.
This would confirm the “biological and not psychological” character of chronic fatigue syndrome.
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