Jason en kollega's hebben bestudeerd in welke mate er bij ME/CVS-patiënten sprake is van afwijkende cortisoldagpatronen (t.o.v. een normaal dagpatroon) en in welke mate die afwijkingen samenhangen met typerende symptomen en psychische klachten.

Het ging in deze studie dus niet zo zeer om de absolute hoeveelheden,

maar om dagpatronen (de trend, bijv. stijgend over de dag, en de schommelingen).

Van de 108 CVS-patiënten hadden 57 een normaal, dagpatroon, 51 mensen niet.

Afwijkende cortisoldagpatronen zijn gerelateerd aan pijn en vermoeidheid,

maar niet aan de 8 "CVS-nevensymptomen" (klik hier), slaap, psychische problemen (depressie en angst), slaapstoornissen en neurokognitieve (intellektuele) klachten.

The Associations Between Basal Salivary Cortisol

and Illness Symptomatology in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 2008, 13, 3, pp. 157–180.

Torres-Harding S, Sorenson M, Jason LA, Reynolds N, Brown M, Maher K, Fletcher MA.

Hypocortisolism has been reported in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS),

with the significance of this finding to disease etiology unclear.

This study examined

cortisol levels

and their relationships with symptoms

in a group of 108 individuals with CFS.

CFS symptoms examined included

fatigue,

pain,

sleep difficulties,

neurocognitive functioning,

and psychiatric status.

Alterations in cortisol levels were examined

by calculation of mean daily cortisol,

and temporal variation in cortisol function

was examined by means of a regression slope.

Additionally,

deviation from expected cortisol diurnal pattern

was determined via clinical judgment.

Results indicated that

fatigue

and pain

were associated with

salivary cortisol levels.

In particular,

variance from the expected pattern of cortisol

was associated with increased levels of fatigue.

The implications of these findings are discussed.

bron:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121543860/abstract

Met dank aan Rob en Jan van Roijen