Part II: ME/CFS, Sepsis & Glycocalyx
Part II: ME/CFS, Sepsis and Glycocalyx Summary To recap from the previous blog post "Part I: Blood Flow in Sepsis & ME/CFS", ME/CFS looks like a lot like sepsis and sepsis is an inflammatory illness of blood vessels. The blood vessel problems in sepsis interfere with oxygen delivery to cells. The particular kind of blood flow problem that you find in sepsis is often described as “heterogeneous perfusion.” In heterogeneous perfusion, blood flow is normal through some capillaries, but in neighboring capillaries, blood flow might be slowed or stopped. In both ME/CFS and sepsis, we say that there is a problem with “oxygen extraction.” Cells have trouble accessing and using oxygen from the blood to make energy. Heterogeneous perfusion is known to cause problems with oxygen extraction. Glycocalyx, an important material that lines the inside of blood vessels, is destroyed during sepsis and destruction of glycocalyx leads to heterogeneous perfusion. The loss of glycocalyx might unite seemingly disparate aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome, like the fact that the illness seems to have so many different causes. There may also be an intersection between mast cell activation syndrome and glycocalyx. Glycocalyx loss could shed light on the connection between low blood volume and ME/CFS. Go To > Part I: Blood Flow In Sepsis & ME/CFS Glycocalyx A material called glycocalyx that lines the interior of blood vessels is extremely important for preventing heterogeneous perfusion. Glycocalyx is lost because of inflammation during sepsis and its loss is directly related to problems with capillary function that you find in sepsis. Glycocalyx is a fuzzy, loose, jelly-like substance. For a long time, until imaging techniques improved, we had no idea that glycocalyx took up so much space inside blood vessels. When we saw how much space it actually [...]