A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)

A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is a way to measure how your heart and lungs work during physical exertion. It’s most commonly done using an exercise bike, evaluating oxygen intake and other vitals throughout a gradual increase in workload.

A CPET, specifically a 2-day CPET, is really valuable in ME/CFS, as it can objectively identify reduced exercise capacity on the second day of the test. This reduced exercise capacity is linked to post-exertional malaise (PEM)—a hallmark of ME/CFS—when a person’s symptoms significantly worsen or they develop flu-like symptoms after exertion. 

To further understand the molecular underpinnings of PEM, OMF’s Ronald G. Tompkins Harvard ME/CFS Collaboration is conducting a muscle biopsy study. By collecting muscle biopsies when you would traditionally perform the second day’s CPET, they are hoping to learn more about what is going on in the muscle that corresponds with the reduced exercise capacity. Read more about this study and hear from the Principal Investigator here.