Carnitine conjugation profiling in a selected cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, 2019, Du Plessis

Source: North West University Date: July 2019, Online February 14, 2020 URL: https://repository.nwu.ac.za/handle/10394/34126

https://repository.nwu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10394/34126/Du Plessis L 21648859.pdf

 

The trouble with urine samples is that (many?) people with ME may have widely varying levels of various things in urine due to polyuria (production of large amounts of urine).

 

When I got some analysis of my cortisol/cortisone levels done, it involved a collection of urine for 24 hours.
A bit easier for men than women.
Thankfully I was housebound, so it wasn't a huge inconvenience.

One time my mother had to go in for an extra container due to the volume I had excreted.

 

I don't believe therapies that hide one symptom will be of any benefit and of course we all know the consequence of pushing through symptoms .

 

So did I - I used a well-rinsed lemonade bottle or similar. At the time I was very polyuric, having no desmopressin, so I must have urinated more than 20 times in the 24 hours.

It didn't do me any good. I was rejected as being 'normal'!

 

Forty years ago they used early morning urine samples to test for pregnancy as there was time overnight for the hormone to gather. Mine was negative as no one took into account how often I had to get up during the night.

It makes me wonder how often our negative tests are due to the fact our ME biochemistry is different from normal.

 

Not necessarily insurmountable or easy to address. Chris Armstrong (2015 paper 2016 webinar) found that creatinine, i.e. the compound normally used to correct for urine dilution, couldn't be used in ME. Chris reckoned that creatinine levels were altered owing to the switch to using amino acids for cellular energy production.

This (carnitine) study was based on mass spectrometry; it is very sensitive, so you may be able to find a compound (detectable along with carnitine) which can be used to correct for urine dilution.

Only looked at this briefly but the authors have identified potential ways to progress this research - section titled "CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS" (pages 80 & 81).

I just wonder if a GWAS study might pick up an association between carnitine and ME. Chris Ponting has submitted an application for funding for a GWAS study in ME. @Simon M

@Michiel Tack @Giada Da Ros A potential biomarker in ME?