Table 2 Subjective, heart rate and ventilatory parameters obtained during consecutive days of maximal exercise testing
Variable | Controls Day 1 | ME/CFS Day 1 | Controls Day 2 | ME/CFS Day 2 | ‘Group’ effect p-value | ‘Time’ effect p-value | ‘Group’ × ‘Time’ interaction p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chalder Fatigue Score | 11.2 (0.6) | 20.3 (6.8) | 11.2 (0.6) | 25.3 (7.0) | < 0.001 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
Resting | |||||||
HR (bpm) | 69.5 (8.4) | 74.0 (12.1) | 70.1 (10.9) | 72.0 (12.0) | 0.47 | 0.60 | 0.35 |
VO2 (ml/kg/min) | 4.1 (0.8) | 4.5 (1.4) | 4.1 (0.7) | 4.1 (1.3) | 0.57 | 0.46 | 0.49 |
Steady state (30 W for female, 40 W for male) | |||||||
HR (bpm) | 100.6 (11.1) | 106.5 (12.6) | 101.0 (12.7) | 104.5 (14.2) | 0.31 | 0.71 | 0.57 |
VO2 (ml/kg/min) | 11.6 (1.3) | 11.4 (1.3) | 11.4 (1.3) | 11.3 (2.1) | 0.80 | 0.49 | 0.83 |
RPE | 8.3 (1.6) | 10.5 (1.9) | 7.5 (1.7) | 10.4 (2.3) | 0.001 | 0.32 | 0.40 |
Ventilatory threshold | |||||||
HR (bpm) | 122.4 (13.2) | 124.0 (18.3) | 120.8 (14.2) | 117.4 (17.6) | 0.89 | 0.03 | 0.17 |
WR (watts) | 90.5 (17.1) | 87.8 (29.6) | 88.0 (16.7) | 72.5 (27.7) | 0.37 | < 0.001 | 0.003 |
VO2 (ml/kg/min) | 16.5 (2.0) | 15.9 (4.1) | 15.9 (1.5) | 15.4 (3.4) | 0.69 | 0.08 | 0.82 |
RPE | 10.8 (1.9) | 13.0 (1.4) | 10.7 (1.6) | 12.6 (2.0) | 0.003 | 0.41 | 0.63 |
Maximal exercise | |||||||
HR (bpm) | 170.3 (10.0) | 167.8 (20.0) | 170.9 (11.0) | 167.0 (15.7) | 0.60 | 0.93 | 0.66 |
WR (watts) | 172.0 (35.5) | 154.4 (56.0) | 174.0 (36.6) | 152.5 (51.7) | 0.32 | 0.97 | 0.27 |
VO2 (ml/kg/min) | 29.9 (6.1) | 27.3 (9.2) | 30.3 (6.2) | 27.4 (8.8) | 0.40 | 0.54 | 0.73 |
RPE | 16.4 (1.4) | 17.5 (1.4) | 17.0 (1.6) | 17.6 (1.3) | 0.11 | 0.20 | 0.40 |