Newcastle study on urinary metabolites in cfs - found in Pub Med

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Preliminary determination of the association between symptom

expression and urinary metabolites in subjects with chronic fatigue

syndrome.

McGregor NR, RH, Zerbes M, Butt HL, TK, Klineberg IJ.

Collaborative Pain Research Unit, University of Sydney, Australia.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients have a urinary metabolite

labeled CFSUM1 with increased incidence (P < 0.004) and relative

abundance (P < 0.00003). The relative abundances of urinary CFSUM1

and beta-alanine were associated with alterations in metabolite

excretion and symptom incidence. In 20 CFS patients and 45 non-CFS

subjects, symptom/metabolite associations were investigated by

assessing symptom sensitivity and specificity, and symptom indices

of total symptom incidence, CFS core symptoms, cognitive,

neurological, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, infection-related

and genitourinary symptom indices, as well as a visual analogue pain

scale of average pain intensity. Thirty-three symptoms had

significant (P < 0.005) sensitivity and specificity in the CFS

patients compared to that in the non-CFS controls. Severe fatigue

was the only symptom with 100% sensitivity and specificity and

CFSUM1 excretion was the primary metabolite for expression of this

symptom. All nine symptom indices had elevated responses in the CFS

patients (all P < 0.0000001). Multiple regression analyses indicated

that all the symptom indices had significant correlations ® with

changes in the urinary excretion of metabolites (P < 0.0001). CFSUM1

and beta-alanine were the first and second metabolites correlated

with the CFS core symptom index and CFSUM1 was primarily associated

with infection-related and musculoskeletal indices whereas beta-

alanine was primarily associated with gastrointestinal and

genitourinary indices. The strong associations of CFSUM1 and beta-

alanine with CFS symptom expression provide a molecular basis for

developing an objective test for CFS.

Publication Types:

Clinical Trial

PMID: 8809350 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]