CFS Pathophysiology and Research Flashcards
6 cards from real CFS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CFS Pathophysiology and Research flashcards as text
What is the significance of the 2-day CPET (cardiopulmonary exercise test) in CFS research?
Answer: It demonstrates objective aerobic dysfunction and PEM on the second day of testing
The 2-day CPET demonstrates objective evidence of PEM by showing significantly impaired aerobic capacity on the second test day compared to the first, which does not occur in healthy people.
Which cytokine abnormalities have been found in CFS research?
Answer: Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and TNF-alpha in many studies
Multiple CFS studies have reported elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha, suggesting ongoing immune activation and neuroinflammation.
What does 'idiopathic' mean when applied to CFS in a medical context?
Answer: A condition of unknown cause
'Idiopathic' means the cause is unknown or not yet identified, which historically described CFS before more was understood about its biological basis.
Which research approach uses large datasets of patient information to identify CFS patterns?
Answer: Big data and machine learning analyses of patient cohorts
Big data and machine learning approaches applied to large patient cohorts have been used to identify biological subtypes and patterns in CFS.
What is the role of mast cells in some CFS research theories?
Answer: Mast cell activation may contribute to inflammation and multi-system symptoms in CFS
Some researchers hypothesize that mast cell activation may contribute to the widespread inflammation and multi-system symptoms seen in CFS.
Which field of research examines how stress and environment alter gene expression without changing DNA sequence in CFS?
Answer: Epigenetics
Epigenetics studies how environmental factors and stress alter gene expression patterns without changing the underlying DNA sequence, and is an active area of CFS research.