Determining the Prevalence of Autonomic Dysfunction
in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

ME North East have met with Dr Julia Newton, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer and Consultant Physician at the Cardiovascular Investigation Unit, Newcastle RVI, and discussed this exciting research programme.

This work is most important, and the results could bring us closer to finding a cause for ME. The questionnaire is quite long and detailed and may take some time to complete. Getting help to fill it in would certainly help and is encouraged.

Members have expressed a wish to participate in useful research in the past and this could be your chance to get involved and make a difference. We bring this to your attention and hope you will join in this pilot study.

Dr Julia Newton: We need your help with this Research Study that may benefit people with CFS/ME.

We are a group of researchers working at the University in Newcastle looking at what causes fatigue in patients with liver problems. We have some very exciting results which suggest that in liver patients fatigue may be caused by problems with regulating heart rate and blood pressure. The results of our studies have changed the way we treat fatigue in our liver clinics.

We are really keen to explore whether the same heart rate and blood pressure problems happen in those with
ME/CFS.

In the first instance, we are looking for adults with ME/CFS to help us by completing a series of questionnaires and return them to us. We recognise that this may take some time and effort and it may be helpful to get someone to work with you on this. In addition we would like to ask for further help with some tests of heart rate and blood pressure. We only need one visit for a couple of hours, none of the tests are painful, they do not involve needles or anything invasive.

If we find out that you have abnormalities of heart rate or blood pressure there are things we could do that might improve your fatigue.

If you would like to help us in this important work, you can contact us directly (details below) or ring the ME North East office on 0191 3892222.


Dr Julia L Newton
Prof D E J Jones
Dr G Spickett
Dr A Price
Cardiovascular Investigation Unit
Royal Victoria Infirmary
Newcastle
0191 2824128
[email protected]