Researchers, doctors and patients have been questioning over the years whether CFS & Fibromyalgia are the same disorders since there appears to be an overlap of the illnesses in patients.
A recent cardio study found that CFS & Fibromyalgia are indeed two separate disorders. Researchers have recently discovered that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is associated with a short corrected electrocardio-graphic QT interval (QTc). In the study researchers evaluated whether Fibromyalgia and CFS can be distinguished by QTc.
The study groups were comprised of women with Fibromyalgia and CFS.
The patients were evaluated with a 10 min supine-30 min head-up tilt test. The electrocardiographic QT interval was corrected for heart rate (HR) according to Fridericia’s equation (QTc). In addition, cardiovascular reactivity was assessed based on blood pressure and HR changes and was expressed as the ‘hemodynamic instability score’ (HIS).
Results:The average supine QTc in FM was 417 ms (SD 25) versus 372 ms (SD 22) in CFS (p<0.0001); the supine QTc cut-off b385.7 ms was 79% sensitive and 87% specific for CFS vs. FM. The average QTc at the 10th minute of tilt was 409 ms (SD 18) in FM versus 367 ms (SD 21) in CFS (p<0.0001); the tilt QTc cut-off<383.3 ms was 71% sensitive and 91% specific for CFS vs. FM. The average HIS in FM patients was -3.52 (SD 1.96) versus +3.21 (SD 2.43) in CFS (p<0.0001).
In conclusion, the study revealed that a relatively short QTc and positive HIS characterize CFS patients and distinguish them from Fibromyalgia patients. Researchers believe this data supports the fact that CFS & Fibromyalgia are two separate disorders.
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