A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, "Incidence and Prevalence of Post‑COVID‑19 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Report from the Observational RECOVER‑Adult Study," reveals that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, significantly increases the rate of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) among COVID-19 survivors.
"This analysis provides the first substantive estimate of the incidence of post-viral ME/CFS," said Rachel Hess, MD, associate vice president for research in health sciences at University of Utah Health and one of the senior authors on the paper.
Suzanne D. Vernon, PhD, research director at the Bateman Horne Center, is the lead author on this study of post-COVID-19 ME/CFS to analyze adult participants in the NIH's RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery) Initiative. Included in the analysis were 11,785 participants who had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 and 1,439 participants who had not been infected by the virus. The results found that 4.5% of SARS-CoV-2 infected RECOVER participants met Institute of Medicine (IOM) ME/CFS clinical diagnostic criteria—nearly eight times higher than uninfected controls.
"These findings highlight the urgent need for healthcare providers to recognize and address ME/CFS as a diagnosable and treatable condition in the wake of COVID-19," Vernon said.
Key findings:
- New incident cases of ME/CFS are 15 times higher than pre-pandemic levels.
- ME/CFS occurred in 4.5% of infected RECOVER participants compared to 0.6% of uninfected individuals.
- Nearly 90% of the post-COVID-19 ME/CFS participants were also identified as the most symptomatic long COVID patients.
"This research underscores the urgency for healthcare providers to recognize post-COVID-19 ME/CFS," Vernon said. "Early diagnosis and proper management can transform lives. At Bateman Horne Center, we are dedicated to equipping providers with the knowledge and tools to meet this critical need."
Hess added that she hopes that the new publication will help lead the way for more studies into ME/CFS. "This condition, which predominantly impacts women, has often been dismissed," Hess said. "This paper will hopefully change the trajectory of research into this understudied condition."
