Analysis of post COVID-19 condition and its overlap with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, 2021, Sukocheva et al

Abstract
Background
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) triggers the development of numerous pathologies and infection-linked complications and exacerbates existing pathologies in nearly all body systems. Aside from the primarily targeted respiratory organs, adverse SARS-CoV-2 effects were observed in nervous, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal/metabolic, immune, and other systems in COVID-19 survivors. Long-term effects of this viral infection have been recently observed and represent distressing sequelae recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a distinct clinical entity defined as post-COVID-19 condition. Considering the pandemic is still ongoing, more time is required to confirm post COVID-19 condition diagnosis in the COVID-19 infected cohorts, although many reported post COVID-19 symptoms overlap with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Aims of Review
In this study, COVID-19 clinical presentation and associated post-infection sequelae (post-COVID-19 condition) were reviewed and compared with ME/CFS symptomatology.

Key Scientific Concepts of Review
The onset, progression, and symptom profile of post COVID-19 condition patients have considerable overlap with ME/CFS. Considering the large scope and range of pro-inflammatory effects of this virus, it is reasonable to expect development of post COVID-19 clinical complications in a proportion of the affected population. There are reports of a later debilitating syndrome onset three months post COVID-19 infection (often described as long-COVID-19), marked by the presence of fatigue, headache, cognitive dysfunction, post-exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance, and dyspnoea. Acute inflammation, oxidative stress, and increased levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), have been reported in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Longitudinal monitoring of post COVID-19 patients is warranted to understand the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the pathomechanism of post COVID-19 condition.

Keywords
coronavirus, fatigue, sequelae, post-infection, chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, post COVID-19 condition, SARS-CoV-2

Open access full text
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123221002320

 

For years the standard for a ME/CFS diagnosis has been 6 months. Now I've noticed lately that the new standard is 2 years, it's by far the most common I see, mostly long haulers reporting what their physician told them last. Or considerably longer than the 6 months that has been insisted to wait for. But it clearly should have been more than enough, it's comfortably 3x more than the standard that's been set for decades, 2x for most.

The initial standard for COVID illness was 2 weeks, anything beyond 2 weeks was declared impossible with full confidence. Then it was 2 months, then 6 months, now it's 2 years. And always: more time is needed. We are close to 4x the initial time, and still more time is needed.

Here somehow they speak of more than 3 months. 20 months into it (let's go with 14 to account for the publication process). Which is one way to completely overshoot the initial target, while not having to deal with the inconvenience of what massively overshooting precludes in concluding that more time is needed, even though it already passed, but they are far behind and moving slower than time, so they may never catch up.

I'd really like some coherence at some point. Because right now it's exactly like doom prophesizers constantly blowing past the end they set for the end of the world, and never criticized no many how many new fake targets they set and have no intention of respecting.