Roma, Maria, Marden, Colleen L, De Wandele, Inge et al. · Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical · 2018 · DOI
This review looked at research connecting two conditions: orthostatic intolerance (difficulty standing up without dizziness, rapid heartbeat, or fainting) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (a connective tissue disorder causing loose joints and flexible skin). The researchers found that people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome experience orthostatic intolerance symptoms much more often than healthy people, and these symptoms significantly affect their quality of life.
Many ME/CFS patients experience overlapping orthostatic intolerance and connective tissue hypermobility. This review highlights the clinical importance of recognizing these co-occurring conditions, which may improve diagnosis and treatment strategies. Understanding the cardiovascular dysfunction in these populations could inform better management approaches for ME/CFS-related orthostatic symptoms.
This systematic review establishes association and correlation but does not establish causation or explain the mechanistic basis for why EDS causes orthostatic intolerance. The review's conclusions are limited by heterogeneity in methodology across the 10 included studies, and it does not provide definitive prevalence rates or standardized diagnostic criteria applicable across all populations.
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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