Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome strongly interlinked

People suffering from Long COVID or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) could benefit from a coordinated treatment strategy, a new University of Otago study has found.

The pilot study, published in Scientific Reports, a Nature journal, has confirmed what researchers have suspected for some time: the two conditions are closely related.

Lead author Emeritus Professor Warren Tate says the research - the first comparative molecular study of the immune cell proteins of both conditions - “strongly affirms” the link between the two.

“This means information from study of the pathophysiology of ME/CFS and therapeutic opportunities that have slowly accumulated over the last 30 years can be transferred to understanding and treating the now estimated 100 million cases of Long COVID world-wide.

“But equally important, the immense resources put into Long COVID research currently in the rich nations, while yet to produce major breakthroughs, can also benefit the many millions of ‘hidden’ ME/CFS patients whose numbers have increased steadily over time in the absence of their recovery from the illness.”

Study results showed the immune system activity of six Long COVID patients one year after a COVID-19 infection was dramatically different from five healthy controlled-group study participants, reflecting a chronic dysfunctional state.

Data gathered from those patients was found to be similar to data gathered from a group of nine diagnosed ME/CFS patients, who had suffered the condition for 16 years on average.

The study reinforces the researchers’ previously published model in Frontiers of Neurology to explain the complex dysfunctional physiology for both ME/CFS and Long COVID: In susceptible people (determined by their health history and genetic background), the normal transitory immune/inflammatory response of the peripheral nervous system to infection or stress does not resolve quickly as in most people.

“It highlights within our community there are significant numbers of people debilitated now with disrupted immune systems, dysfunctional energy production, and disturbed brain regulation of their overall physiology that severely disrupts their family lives, ability to work and participate in their communities long-term, and that these people need support from all levels of society.”

Reference: Strong links found between Long COVID and ME/CFS: Otago study; Scientific Reports; DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-49402-9