Fatigue and myalgia in AIDS patients.

Fatigue and myalgia are common in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). To determine whether altered muscle metabolism or impaired activation of muscle might account for these symptoms, we utilized three different exercise protocols to produce fatigue in nine AIDS patients who complained of both fatigue and exercise-exacerbated myalgia. Five were taking azidothymidine (AZT), which may cause a mitochondrial myopathy. Simultaneous measures of force, EMG, and muscle metabolites (phosphocreatine, inorganic phosphate, adenosine triphosphate, and intracellular pH) using phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were performed during fatigue and recovery. There were no significant differences between patients and controls in terms of fatigability, muscle metabolism, or muscle activation. These results provide no support for the hypothesis that fatigue or myalgia in AIDS patients derives from altered muscle metabolism or that AZT produces mitochondrial myopathy.