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Rheumatology 2004; 43: 253-254
British Society for Rheumatology 2004; all rights reserved

Letter to the Editor

Reply

M. Pache, T. Kube and J. Flammer

University Eye Clinic Basel, Mittlere Strasse 91, P.O. Box, CH-4012 Basel, Switzerland

Correspondence to: J. Flammer. E-mail: Josef.Flammer{at}uhbs.ch

SIR, we appreciate the comments by Dr Kennedy and colleagues regarding our report [1] about plasma endothelin-1 levels in fibromyalgia syndrome. The aim of our study was to measure endothelin-1 (ET-1) plasma levels in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and to compare the results with those for healthy controls matched for sex and age. Using a specific radioimmunoassay [2], we found plasma ET-1 levels to be significantly increased in FMS patients when compared with controls (2.74 ± 0.76 pg/ml, range 1.68–3.95 vs 1.4 ± 0.23 pg/ml, range 0.9–1.86; P < 0.0001).

Dr Kennedy and colleagues measured plasma ET-1 levels in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) by means of ELISA and found the ET-1 levels to be unaltered in their patients. They conclude that ‘these data challenge the concept that CFS and FMS are part of the same spectrum of illness’. Their finding is indeed interesting, but it remains unclear to us why these data are ‘in contrast to’ our data, as we measured plasma ET-1 levels in FMS and not in CFS patients. Moreover, in the Introduction of our report we pointed out a clinical, but not an aetiological, overlap between FMS and CFS.

The results of Dr Kennedy and colleagues lend additional support to the hypothesis that FMS and CFS are aetiologically distinct. However, further research in this field is necessary before firm conclusions can be drawn.

References

  1. Pache M, Ochs J, Genth E, Mierau R, Kube T, Flammer J. Increased plasma endothelin-1 levels in fibromyalgia syndrome. Rheumatology 2003;42:493–4.[Free Full Text]
  2. Moreau P, Takase H, Kung CF, Shaw S, Luscher TF. Blood pressure and vascular effects of endothelin blockade in chronic nitric oxide-deficient hypertension. Hypertension 1997;29:763–9.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Accepted 20 June 2003


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This Article
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