https://batemanhornecenter.org/covid-19-triggers-me-cfs/
"The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, swept across
the globe with an unparalleled speed and severity. As a researcher dedicated to
understanding how viral infections lead to chronic illness, I knew this
pandemic would have far-reaching consequences. The history of post-viral
illnesses strongly suggested that many survivors of COVID-19 would face
prolonged and debilitating health challenges, with a substantial subset
developing post-viral syndromes, including ME/CFS. This grim reality has become
increasingly clear as the pandemic’s aftermath continues to unfold.
At Bateman Horne Center (BHC), we anticipated that COVID-19, like other viral
outbreaks, would leave a legacy of chronic illness in its wake. Historical
research on post-viral syndromes suggested that at least 10% of COVID-19
survivors would struggle with lingering health effects, including fatigue,
cognitive impairment, and other disabling symptoms characteristic of ME/CFS.
Sadly, this prediction has proven to be accurate—and urgent action is needed.
Through the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER initiative, we had an
unprecedented opportunity to study the long-term health impacts of COVID-19,
including its role in triggering ME/CFS. As part of the RECOVER Mountain States
PASC Consortium, a collaboration of researchers and healthcare systems across
Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, BHC has contributed to groundbreaking research
that sheds light on the intersection of COVID-19 and ME/CFS.
The RECOVER study, which has collected data from more than 15,000 adult
participants over the past four years, provided us with an unprecedented
opportunity to determine whether ME/CFS occurred after being sick with COVID-19
and the overlap between ME/CFS and Long COVID. In a paper published today in
the
Journal of General Internal Medicine, we found that among participants
infected with SARS-CoV-2, the incidence of ME/CFS—defined using the Institute
of Medicine (IOM) diagnostic criteria—
was 15 times higher than pre-pandemic
rates. Of the 4,515 participants who enrolled within 30 days of contracting
COVID-19, 73 developed ME/CFS at least six months post-infection. In total, 531
participants met ME/CFS criteria, translating to a prevalence of 4.5% among
those infected—nearly eight times higher than uninfected participants. This
prevalence is five times higher than pre-pandemic estimates and underscores the
severe and lasting impact of COVID-19 on public health.
There has been a lot of discussion about whether ME/CFS and Long COVID are the
same. RECOVER has helped us understand that ME/CFS is a subset, likely a severe
subset, of the much larger Long COVID group.
Strikingly, 90% of these post-COVID-19 ME/CFS cases clustered with the most
symptomatic and severe cases of Long COVID, highlighting the overlap between
these two conditions.
This finding reinforces what we at BHC have long known:
ME/CFS is not only a real and diagnosable condition, but it is also a disabling
disease that demands attention, especially in the wake of a global pandemic."
Via Violet Blue’s
Covid News: January 16, 2025
https://www.patreon.com/posts/threat-model-16-120104985
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
