“Long-haul COVID”: An opportunity to address the complexity of post-infectious functional syndromes, 2021, Cathébras et al

Abstract

In this work, we address the issue of prolonged symptoms following an infection by SARS-CoV-2, labeled “long COVID”. This clinically unspecific syndrome must be put in perspective with the post-infectious syndromes known for a long time but ultimately poorly understood and little studied, qualified, for lack of convincing arguments for a unambiguous pathophysiology and better terms, as functional somatic syndromes. The clinical implications for clinical care (“holistic” work-up and care of patients), for research (need for truly “bio-psycho-social” investigations), and the social implications of “long COVID” (social construction of the syndrome through the experiences of patients exposed on social networks, inequalities in the face of the disease and its socioeconomic consequences) are considered. “Long COVID” must be view, because of its expected prevalence, as an opportunity to address the complexity of post-infectious (functional) syndromes, their risk factors, and the biological, psychological and social mechanisms underlying them.

Open access (in French), https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S024886632100518X

 

Another terrible article from Cathébras who is pushing for a MUS/FSS approach to long Covid. He directly targets patient associations that he says are "activists" and compares them to French advocates for chronic Lyme, whom most doctors are very hostile to.

Unfortunately for long Covid patients seeking specialized care with internists at university hospitals, this was published in the French Journal of Internal Medicine (i.e. the French National Society of Internal Medicine's journal), which is widely read among this group.

 

That's basically like suggesting to dig for more coal as a solution to climate change. Literally suggesting the problem as the solution. How do people make such poor life choices that they can end up there is something I will never understand, especially why other people just nod and give the thumbs up despite having everything at their disposal to know better.

It is, however, a very good opportunity to completely render obsolete the very ideology of conversion disorder, except as usual with these people, reality is binary flipped in their heads.

This bit is frankly weird and new:

Everything is made-up and nothing matters to them. It's all about expanding the ideology, nothing else matters.

 

functional word salad this is insurance/political evidence creation at it's worst .