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Fatigue Dominates Long COVID Clinics, With Many Patients Meeting ME/CFS Criteria.

A community-based study of 277 people attending a Long COVID referral clinic found that fatigue was the most common and debilitating symptom, affecting nearly three-quarters of patients about ten months after their initial infection.
Fatigue Dominates Long COVID Clinics, With Many Patients Meeting ME/CFS Criteria.
Photo by Isabella Fischer

Title: The fatigue spectrum in a community-based long haul COVID cohort.

Plain-Language Summary

In a study conducted on a Long Haul COVID referral clinic, the primary presentations of fatigue were analyzed using specific criteria for myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The research involved 277 patients, predominantly women, aged 18 to 90 years, who sought help around 10 months after recovering from acute COVID-19. The data showed that a significant portion of patients presented with fatigue, and specific factors like anxiety and psychiatric diagnoses were associated with fatigue and ME/CFS criteria.

Key Findings

  • 209 out of 277 patients (73.5%) presented with fatigue, with a higher Fatigue Severity Score among those with a primary complaint of fatigue.
  • Anxiety and psychiatric diagnoses were more common in individuals with fatigue and ME/CFS criteria compared to those without.
  • About 22% of those with fatigue met the criteria for ME/CFS, while brain fog was a prevalent symptom across all Long Haul COVID cases, showing distinctive features.

Study Type

This study can be classified as observational, analyzing clinical data from a community-based Long Haul COVID cohort to investigate the spectrum of fatigue presentations.

What This Means (and Doesn’t Mean)

The findings highlight the diversity in the fatigue presentations of Long Haul COVID patients, with a notable proportion meeting ME/CFS criteria. Understanding these variations can aid in better management and treatment strategies for individuals experiencing prolonged fatigue post-COVID-19.

However, this study does not establish causal relationships between specific factors and fatigue presentations nor can it be extrapolated to all Long COVID cases, emphasizing the need for further research in this area.

Source

Disclaimer

This summary was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by a human prior to publication. While care is taken to ensure accuracy, errors are possible. If you notice any issues, have questions, or would like to request coverage of a specific research paper, please contact admin@long-covid.org.

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Published by:

The Long Haul Editorial Team

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