1. Your Response to Stress Is Inherited
Scientists have found that people with chronic fatigue syndrome have high levels of allostatic load in their bodies. Allostatic load is a stress measure based on hormone secretions that measures the so-called "wear and tear" on your body. There are also unusual genetic variations in the areas of the brain that control the response to stress. These variations, which are inherited, can adversely affect your body's ability to deal with the stresses of life, such as injury and trauma (physical or emotional). This inhibited ability to deal with stress can lead to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome.
2. The HPA Axis Is the Key
Your brain's hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) is the center for the genetic variations that can produce chronic fatigue syndrome. The HPA axis actually changes its physical shape, size and appearance based on the stress you experience in your life, regulating the way you respond to stress. It appears that the way you respond to stress throughout your life is inherited, and is determined by the genetic sequence of the genes that are in the HPA axis.
3. The Three Sub-Types of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Scientists have identified three sub-types of chronic fatigue syndrome, each one influenced by genetics. The first type of chronic fatigue syndrome causes extreme fatigue as its main symptom. The second raises cortisol levels in the body, affects the sympathetic nervous system and produces changes in heart rate. The third type of chronic fatigue is seen mainly in women who have gone through menopause. Three genes on the HPA axis were different in people with chronic fatigue syndrome than they were in people without the condition. The gene differences in chronic fatigue syndrome patients produced changes in the way the HPA axis handles the chemicals glucocorticode serotonin and tryptophan. Since these chemicals are important in producing energy and boosting mood, a negative impact on them, such as that which occurs through the faulty genes, could produce symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.
