Association Awards Research Grant

The CFIDS Association of America is pleased to announce a commitment of $80,000 to fund a study of neuroactive progesterone metabolites in women with CFS. Frances Abbott, M.D., of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, will head up the study.

With more women than men affected by CFS, some physicians question whether stress or sex hormones play a role in the illness. However, the only consistent finding is a tendency for low cortisol levels. A recent study of small sample size showed that five-ring, A-reduced metabolites of progesterone were elevated in plasma samples from women with CFS. Data from that study led Dr. Abbott and her group to hypothesize that involvement of progesterone metabolites in the etiology of CFS could mean the development of a diagnostic test.

Results from the study Elevated levels of some neuroactive progresterone metabolites, particularly isopregnanolone, in women with chronic fatigue syndrome show that one of the 3â, 5á-tetrahydroprogesterone (3â, 5á-THP) was elevated independent of progesterone levels. As reported in the February 2004 journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, data from the study conducted by Dr. Abbott, B.E. Murphy, C.M. Allison, C. Watts and A.M. Ghadirian also showed that 78 percent of the 20 CFS patients and 13 age-matched controls in the study were correctly classified as either patient or control on the basis of 3â, 5á-THP levels. Dr. Abbott’s new research will explore the critical question of whether 3â, 5á-THP is a specific marker for CFS, or whether it also occurs in disorders such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, both of which also have overlapping symptom profiles.

Currently restricted to women, Dr. Abbott’s study will compare both sedentary and active controls (matched for age and socioeconomic variables) because the effects of activity and body mass index on 3â, 5á-THP is not known. In addition to medical history, routine blood screening and physical examination, questionnaires will be used to quantify health and mood. Tender points, sensitivity to experimental pain and autonomic tone will be measured. Samples will be assayed for progesterone, its precursor pregnenolone, and five metabolites. The study will also analyze testosterone, estrogen, peptides involved in pain processes (substance P and CGRP) and dehydroepiandrosterone, indices of inflammatory processes (C-reactive protein and interleukin 1â). Circadian variation in cortisol will be measured in saliva samples collected at home. The data analysis will focus on the association of physiological measures with symptoms such as fatigue, muscle tenderness, depression, etc.

The potential for development of markers and treatment of CFS that could result from this study led the Association to approve its research funding. The progress of this investigation will be reported in subsequent issues of the CFIDSLink and other publications.