Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 337, Issue 8744, 30 March 1991, Pages 757-760
The Lancet

ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome

https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(91)91371-ZGet rights and content

Abstract

The hypotheses that patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have low red blood cell magnesium and that magnesium treatment would improve the wellbeing of such patients. were tested in a case-control study and a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, respectively. In the case-control study, 20 patients with CFS had lower red cell magnesium concentrations than did 20 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and social class (difference 0·1 mmol/l, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 0·05 to 0·15). In the clinical trial, 32 patients with CFS were randomly allocated either to intramuscular magnesium sulphate every week for 6 weeks (15 patients) or to placebo (17). Patients treated with magnesium claimed to have improved energy levels, better emotional state, and less pain, as judged by changes in the Nottingham health profile. 12 of the 15 treated patients said that they had benefited from treatment, and in 7 patients energy score improved from the maximum to the minimum. By contrast, 3 of the 17 patients on placebo said that they felt better (difference 62%, 95% Cl 35 to 90), and 1 patient had a better energy score. Red cell magnesium returned to normal in all patients on magnesium but in only 1 patient on placebo. The findings show that magnesium may have a role in CFS.

References (26)

  • Na Miller et al.

    Antibody to Coxsackie B virus in diagnosing postviral fatigue syndrome

    Br Med J

    (1991)
  • As David et al.

    Postviral fatigue syndrome: time for a new approach

    Br Med J

    (1988)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text