|
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked to Hormone
Women With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome May Have Lower Levels of Cortisol in the Morning
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 18, 2008 -- Chronic fatigue syndrome may be linked to the stress hormone cortisol, at least in women, according to a new study.
The study shows that women with chronic fatigue syndrome had lower cortisol levels in the morning, compared with healthy women.
The study included 185 Georgia adults, 75 of whom had chronic fatigue syndrome. Those patients had fatigue lasting at least six months with no known cause and accompanied by at least four other symptoms, such as muscle pain or memory problems.
Participants provided saliva samples taken as soon as they woke up, and again 30 minutes and an hour later. The CDC's William Reeves, MD, and colleagues measured cortisol levels in the saliva samples.
Chronic fatigue syndrome was associated with lower morning cortisol levels among women, but not among men. Morning cortisol levels were similar for men with and without chronic fatigue syndrome.
The study doesn't prove that low morning levels of cortisol cause women's chronic fatigue syndrome. The researchers don't know which came first -- low morning cortisol levels or chronic fatigue syndrome -- but their findings may be a clue for researchers.
The study appears in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
慢性疲劳综合症和内分泌因素有关
女性慢性疲劳综合症患者晨起皮质激素水平较低
WebMD
——根据最新研究显示,慢性疲劳综合症和应激激素皮质醇有关,至少在女性中是这样的。研究发现慢性疲劳综合症女性和健康女性相比,晨起皮质醇的水平较低。(Nater, U. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Dec. 26, 2007; online edition.News release, The Endocrine Society.)
研究人员选择了185名乔治亚洲的成年人,其中75名患有慢性疲劳综合症。这些患者不明原因的疲劳症状至少要持续6个月以上,而且还要有其他4种以上的伴随症状,如肌痛或记事障碍。参与者晨起后即刻留取唾液样本,30分钟和1小时后再留取2次。然后由CDC的William Reeves博士和同事检测唾液样本中的皮质醇水平。慢性疲劳综合症和晨起皮质醇水平低下的联系只见于女性。在男性中两者并无差别。这项研究也不能证明晨起皮质醇水平低下是导致女性慢性疲劳综合症的原因。研究人员也不清楚两者之间的因果关系——但是他们的发现提供了新的研究线索。 |
|