An investigation into biochemical and blood flow aspects of ME/CFS in children
Dr Gwen Kennedy
Investigator
Dr Gwen Kennedy
Institution
Vascular Diseases Research Unit, The Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK
Aims
Estimates vary, but there are probably around 20,000 children reported to have CFS/ME in the UK, yet some doctors still refuse to recognise the problem, let alone investigate it. Attitudes are changing, however, and in a recent report the UK Chief Medical Officer highlighted the fact that research in children with CFS/ME is an urgent priority. There is some controversy as to whether CFS/ME of childhood is the same as that of adults, in terms of disease mechanism and manifestations.
Using sophisticated vascular imaging techniques we have recently demonstrated that small blood vessels in adult CFS/ME patients are sensitive to the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine. This is most interesting as vascular diseases show a blunted response to acetylcholine. In addition, by applying recently developed cellular assays in flow cytometry, we found significant differences between adult CFS/ME patients and matched control subjects in the early death of white blood cells (neutrophil apoptosis) and increased cardiovascular stress markers (lipids, oxidative stress markers and C-reactive protein). We provisionally inferred that CFS/ME might be a chronic inflammatory disorder resulting in an unusual combination of blood vessel sensitivity to acetylcholine yet with a significant risk for future cardiovascular events.
The aim of our children’s study is to apply the same novel techniques to a group of 25 children with well-defined CFS in whom there is the possibility of long-lasting chronic ill-health, alongside a comparable group of 25 normal, healthy children matched for age and gender. It is important to know whether the increased cardiovascular risk seen in adults is also present in children as it might be possible to address this with appropriate treatment. We believe that work in this area is crucial, as CFS/ME is fast becoming one of the commonest causes of long-term school absence in previously fit childhood populations.
