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Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and COVID-19: is there a connection?
Suha AlMuhaissen1, Amal Abu Libdeh2,3, Yara ElKhatib1
1Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Objectives:
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic systemic disease that leads to neurological, immunological, autonomic, and energy metabolism dysfunction. COVID-19 has been reported to cause similar symptoms to ME/CFS. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis in patients post-COVID-19 infection by assessing acute and long-term COVID-19 symptoms.
Methods:
A cross-sectional questionnaire was developed based on the ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, as specified by the IOM clinical diagnostic criteria, and administered to participants with confirmed COVID-19 who are more than 18 years old and have BMI below 40 Kg/m2. Data from 437 participants were completed.
Results:
The current study results revealed that 8.1% of the study participants met the ME/CFS diagnostic criteria. Interestingly, 2.8 of the study participants were classified to have COVID-19 related to ME/CFS. While 4.6% of participants were determined to have disease-related fatigue, 0.7% of participants showed ME/CFS that was not related to COVID-19, and 3.7% of participants were considered to have long COVID-19. Almost one-fourth of the study participants had a family history of ME/CFS. The current study demonstrated that the prevalence of ME/CFS is similar to slightly higher than reported in the literature.
Conclusion:
The presence of a relationship between ME/CFS and COVID-19 has been supported by the results of our study. Follow-up of COVID-19 patients is strongly recommended to ensure proper management of ME/CFS symptoms.
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