Low, P A · Current opinion in neurology · 1998 · DOI
This review explores how problems with the autonomic nervous system—the part of your nervous system that controls automatic functions like heart rate and temperature regulation—may play a role in several conditions, including ME/CFS. The author discusses how antibodies (immune proteins) targeting autonomic structures are found in some diseases, and notes that some autonomic problems can be treated with medications like midodrine or erythropoietin.
This review suggests autonomic dysfunction as a plausible biological mechanism underlying ME/CFS symptoms, which could redirect clinical and research attention toward evaluating autonomic neuropathy in ME/CFS populations. Additionally, the identification of potentially treatable autonomic conditions offers hope that some ME/CFS symptom clusters may respond to targeted therapies.
This review does not establish that autonomic neuropathy is definitively present in ME/CFS patients, nor does it provide evidence from controlled studies comparing autonomic function in ME/CFS versus healthy controls. It is speculative regarding the ME/CFS connection and relies on anecdotal reports for some treatment claims, which do not constitute proof of efficacy.
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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