Olimulder, M A G M, Galjee, M A, Wagenaar, L J et al. · Netherlands heart journal : monthly journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation · 2016 · DOI
This study used advanced heart imaging (MRI scans) to examine the hearts of 12 women with ME/CFS and compared them to 36 healthy women. The researchers found that women with ME/CFS had smaller hearts and mildly weaker heart function than the healthy controls. Some ME/CFS patients also showed signs of scarring in the heart muscle, which was not seen in any of the healthy controls.
This is the first contrast-enhanced CMR study to systematically assess cardiac tissue characterization in ME/CFS, providing objective evidence of potential structural and functional cardiac involvement. The finding of myocardial fibrosis in some patients suggests cardiac pathology may contribute to symptoms and warrants further investigation of cardiac mechanisms in ME/CFS.
This small cross-sectional study cannot establish causation or determine whether cardiac changes are primary to ME/CFS pathophysiology or secondary consequences. The findings in 12 patients do not represent all ME/CFS populations and cannot predict clinical outcomes or the prevalence of these cardiac changes across the ME/CFS patient population.
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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