From: Biology and therapy of fibromyalgia. Stress, the stress response system, and fibromyalgia
Reference | Type of stress test | Number of patients | Number of controls | Main conclusion |
---|---|---|---|---|
Martinez-Lavin and colleagues, 1997 [18] | Active orthostatic stress | 19 | 19 | Orthostatic sympathetic derangement |
Bou-Holaigah and colleagues, 1997 [19] | Head-up tilt table test | 20 (17 female) | 20 (18 female) | Hypotension in 60% of patients (0% in controls) |
Raj and colleagues, 2000 [13] | Head-up tilt table test | 17 | 14 | Positive test in 64% of patients and 21 controls |
Naschitz and colleagues, 2001 [20] | 'Discriminant score' during head-up tilt table test | 38 (67% female) | 30 with chronic fatigue syndrome (58% female), 37 normal (65% female) | Discriminant score different in fibromyalgia versus chronic fatigue syndrome |
Friederich and colleagues, 2005 [21] | Mental stress, passive orthostatism | 28 | 15 | Less sympathetic activation |
Furlan and colleagues, 2005 [16] | Head-up tilt table test, muscular sympathetic nerve activity | 16 (15 female) | 16 (15 female) | Decreased sympathetic response |