Do people with ME/CFS and joint hypermobility represent a disease subgroup? An analysis using registry data

Copyright © 2024 Mudie, Ramiller, Whittaker and Phillips..

Background: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic, multifaceted disease that affects millions globally. Despite its significant impact, the disease's etiology remains poorly understood, and symptom heterogeneity poses challenges for diagnosis and treatment. Joint hypermobility, commonly seen in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), has been observed in ME/CFS patients but its prevalence and clinical significance within this population are not well-characterized.

Objective: To compare the characteristics of ME/CFS patients with and without joint hypermobility (JH+ and JH-) as assessed using the Beighton scoring system, and to explore whether JH+ ME/CFS patients exhibit distinct disease characteristics, comorbidities, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods: The study used cross-sectional, self-reported data from 815 participants of the You + ME Registry. Participants were categorized as JH+ or JH- based on self-assessed Beighton scores and compared across demographics, comorbidities, family history, and symptoms. HRQOL was assessed using the Short Form-36 RAND survey and Karnofsky Performance Status.

Results: 15.5% (N = 126) of participants were classified as JH+. JH+ participants were more likely to be female, report Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and a family history of EDS. They experienced worse HRQOL, particularly in physical functioning and pain, and a higher number of autonomic, neurocognitive, headache, gut, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Sensitivity analysis suggested that ME/CFS with concurrent JH+ and EDS was associated with more severe symptoms and greater functional impairment.

Conclusion: ME/CFS patients with joint hypermobility, particularly those with EDS, demonstrate distinct clinical characteristics, including more severe symptomatology and reduced HRQOL. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive clinical assessments of ME/CFS patients with joint hypermobility. Understanding these relationships could aid in subgroup identification, improving diagnosis, and informing targeted therapeutic approaches. Further research is warranted to explore these associations and their implications for clinical practice.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:15

Enthalten in:

Frontiers in neurology - 15(2024) vom: 30., Seite 1324879

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Mudie, Kathleen [VerfasserIn]
Ramiller, Allison [VerfasserIn]
Whittaker, Sadie [VerfasserIn]
Phillips, Leslie E [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Chronic fatigue syndrome
Joint hypermobility
Journal Article
Myalgic encephalomyelitis
Quality of life
Subgrouping

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 29.03.2024

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.3389/fneur.2024.1324879

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM370348206