Researchers have found that people with chronic fatigue syndrome tend to experience shortness of breath, which offers a target for treatment and may bring relief from symptoms.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is marked by exhaustion that persists despite rest and cognitive problems, including brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
The researchers from the US' Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai monitored 57 patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome while performing physical activity.
Results published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine show dysfunctional breathing can look like a deep sigh while breathing ordinarily, overly rapid breathing or shallow breathing so that lungs are never properly breathing.
A loss in coordination between chest and abdomen could also prevent the varied muscles that help one breathe from working together, they said.
"While we know the symptoms generated by hyperventilation, we remain unsure what symptoms may be worse with dysfunctional breathing," author Dr Donna Mancini from the Icahn School of Medicine said.
"But we are sure patients can have dysfunctional breathing without being aware of it. Dysfunctional breathing can occur in a resting state," Dr Mancini said.
The authors wrote, "Dysfunctional breathing and hyperventilation are common in patients with ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and could present a new therapeutic target for these patients." Heart rate and blood pressure of the participants, which also included 25 healthy ones, were measured along with oxygen saturation of blood, while doing cardiopulmonary exercises over two days.
How fast, hard or effectively the participants breathed to get oxygen and patterns in breathing were observed to differentiate hyperventilation and dysfunctional breathing, the researchers said.
While participants having chronic fatigue were seen to take in the same amount of oxygen as the healthy ones, 71 per cent were seen to experience breathing problems -- either hyperventilation, dysfunctional breathing, or both.
Both dysfunctional breathing and hyperventilation can cause symptoms similar to chronic fatigue, such as dizziness, difficulty focussing, a shortness of breath and exhaustion, the researchers said.
Combining the two -- nine patients of chronic fatigue showed dysfunctional breathing and hyperventilation. It can also cause people to experience heart palpitations, chest pain, fatigue, and anxiety, they said.
The team suggested that breathing problems could worsen or even directly contribute to post-exertional malaise, in which symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome get worse following mental or physical exercise.
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