EFFORT SYNDROME - HYPERVENTILATION AND REDUCTION OF ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD

Effort syndrome is an entity in danger of being subsumed into ''chroni c fatigue syndrome'' and lost to sight. Its distinctive feature is the reduction of the anaerobic threshold for work by depletion of the bod y's alkaline buffering ,systems through hyperventilation. This article describes the history and clinical features of effort syndrome and re ports a study in which capnography is used to identify the anaerobic t hreshold by registering the respiratory response to the onset of metab olic acidosis. The patients' thresholds are low, and provide a goal fo r rehabilitation. In other forms of chronic fatigue syndrome, the path ogenesis and logic of therapy are unclear.