How CFS Affects the Body Systems
Chronic Fatigue affects several body systems including the immune, endocrine, hematological (formation of new red blood cells), and the nervous system. Cell receptors of each of these systems are shared so it is difficult to have a problem with one and not the rest of them. CFS also effects the Gastrointestinal Tract (GI)- basically every system in the body. This is part of the reason why CFS is hard to detect.
The Nervous System (the brain)
There is a deficit in the regional cerebral blood flow in CFS patients. Hypotension is linked to CFS, which is an abnormality in the way the body regulates blood pressure. This occurs with the CNS's autonomic portion controlling heart rate and blood pressure and lowers and slows down blood pressure which is the opposite of what the body needs at in this situation (CFS Nervous). The decrease in blood pressure can be triggered simply from the subject standing up (CFS Maryland). The CNS is involved in the functioning of all other systems of the body so, this can turn into a rather large problem.
This system controls important functions like stress response, sleep, and depression (CFS Maryland).
Common CNS symptoms include neurocognitive impairments, like difficulties processing information and concentration, confusion, slowed thought, disorientation, cognitive overload, slow decision making and speech, dyslexia, dyscalculia, short-term memory loss, word retrieval problems, poor information recall, and impaired working memory.
There's also neurosensory and perceptual impairments, like difficulty focusing, depth perception, and sensitivity to light, noise, vibration, odor, taste, and touch.
Motor systems like weak muscles, twitching, poor coordination, and balance loss are also related to the CNS disfunctions.
Immune System
CFS has been referred to as "chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome." Sometimes the immune system overreacts and other times it under reacts but there is no evidence that CFS is an immune disease.
Allergies to food, pollen, and metals such as nickel are common to CFS patients. Allergies may cause a cascade of immune abnormalities which lead to the development of CFS, although, this is simply a theory.
Autoimmune Abnormalities may be present as well, but it is not known for sure. What is know is that patients have similarities with many of the same risks for autoimmune diseases (CFS Maryland).
Endocrine System
Compared to a healthy subject, patients with CFS have abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary axes. For example, there is a deficiency in the hypothalamic production of corticotrophin releasing hormone, leading to inefficient ACTH released by the pituitary, which in turn, leads to hypocortisolism. The adrenal gland is half the size of healthy subjects. The blunt ACTH response means that the HPA activation by serotonin is defective in patients with CFS with effects the release of CRH from the hypothalamus. Also, hormonal irregularities have been found.
These three system are all linked -- The CNS releases neurochemicals that regulate the nervous system; the immune system releases cytokines that regulate the nervous system; the endocrine system releases hormones that affect the nervous and immune system, and so on.
Resources
"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014. Retrieved from http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/chronic-fatigue-syndrome
"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nervous System Involvement." Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nervous System Involvement. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web3/ngjivoje.html
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