ME/CFS and Post-Exertional Malaise among patients with long COVID
Prof Leonard Jason and Joseph Dorri found 58% of 465 long COVID patients met the criteria for ME/CFS, confirming the findings of previous research.
Research abstract:
This study sought to ascertain the prevalence of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) among a sample of 465 patients with Long COVID.
The participants completed three questionnaires:
- a new questionnaire measuring both the frequency and severity of 38 common symptoms of COVID and Long COVID,
- a validated short form questionnaire assessing ME/CFS, and
- a validated questionnaire measuring post-exertional malaise.
The population was predominantly white, female, and living in North America. The mean duration since the onset of COVID-19 symptoms was 70.5 weeks.
Among the 465 participants, 58% met a ME/CFS case definition.
Of respondents who reported that they had ME/CFS only 70.57% met criteria for ME/CFS and of those who did not report they had ME/CFS, 29.43% nevertheless did meet criteria for the disease: both over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis were evident on self-report.
“it is not sufficient to just ask patients whether or not they have ME/CFS, as most have no idea of what symptoms are in the established ME/CFS case definitions”
This study supports prior findings that ME/CFS occurs with high prevalence among those who have persistent COVID-19 symptoms.
Excerpt from Discussion:
Those COVID-19 patients who meet ME/CFS criteria were more symptomatic on all COVID-19 symptoms. It is a tautology to show that ME/CFS symptoms were more common in people diagnosed with ME/CFS, but more importantly, it is interesting that some Long COVID symptoms (e.g., loss of or change in smell and/or taste) also were more frequent and severe in people who met diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS.
ME/CFS and Post-Exertional Malaise among Patients with Long COVID, by Leonard A Jason, Joseph A Dorri in Neurology International Vol 15, #1, pp 1-11, 20 December 2022 [10.3390/neurolint15010001 ]
