De Lorenzo, F, Hargreaves, J, Kakkar, V V · Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 1996 · DOI
This study looked at five people with ME/CFS who experienced symptoms like dizziness, blurred vision, and heart palpitations when standing up. When these patients were tested while lying on a tilting table that slowly moved them upright, researchers found that their blood pressure dropped and heart rate increased significantly. This suggests that some ME/CFS patients may have a condition called postural tachycardia syndrome, which affects how the body manages blood pressure during position changes.
This early work is important because it was among the first to formally document autonomic dysfunction in ME/CFS patients using objective testing. Recognition of POTS overlap has since become clinically relevant, as some ME/CFS patients may benefit from specific interventions targeting orthostatic intolerance. It highlights that ME/CFS involves physiological dysfunction beyond fatigue alone.
This case series does not establish how common POTS is in the broader ME/CFS population or whether autonomic dysfunction causes ME/CFS symptoms. It cannot prove causality between the two conditions, nor does it explain why only some ME/CFS patients develop postural tachycardia. The small sample and lack of controls mean findings may not generalize to all ME/CFS patients.
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 →
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