Long COVID Has Forced a Reckoning for One of Medicine’s Most Neglected Diseases

Only a couple dozen doctors specialize in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Now their knowledge could be crucial to treating millions more patients.

By Ed Yong, The Atlantic

“At best, most medical professionals know nothing about ME/CFS; at worst, they tell patients that their symptoms are psychosomatic, anxiety-induced, or simply signs of laziness. While ME/CFS patients, their caregivers, and the few doctors who treat them have spent years fighting for medical legitimacy, the coronavirus pandemic has now forced the issue.”

“COVID long-haulers have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that acute viral infections can leave people chronically ill. Many health-care workers, political-decision makers, and influencers either know someone with long COVID or have it themselves. Even if they still don’t know about ME/CFS, their heightened awareness of post-viral illnesses is already making a difference.”

Understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Myalgic encephalomyelitis and Long Covid have overlapping presentation

By Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik & Natalie Eaton-Fitc, Science

“Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe condition characterized by post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE) accompanied by neurological, immunological, gastrointestinal (GI), and mitochondrial disturbances….The recent emergence of a chronic post-infectious condition, called Long Covid, overlaps considerably with ME/CFS in immunological, mitochondrial, and neurological dysfunctions.”

A Life Changing Illness

By Winston Blick, Medium

“Most of the symptoms of ME/CFS are invisible. Even those confined to their beds for years may look relatively healthy. And because symptoms fluctuate for those more moderately affected, this can lead even loved ones to doubt the severity of the condition...Of course, they may only be seeing the person on their best days, in their best hours. On their worst, they are confined to bed and hidden from view. This type of doubt is a struggle shared by many with dynamic disabilities.”

2018 ME/CFS Research Summary

By Dr.Rochelle Joslyn

From sophisticated neuroimaging to characterization of immune cell dysfunction, the body of work produced this year decidedly situates ME/CFS within the realm of neuroimmune disease. Reports from the past year encompass a breadth of domains, illuminating the physiological and biochemical nature of the disease, and describing unique elements of the ME/CFS experience such as post-exertional malaise and social stigma.

ME/CFS Research Roundup: Brief highlights of biomedical research to date (2017)

By Dr.Rochelle Joslyn

ME/CFS Research Summary

By Jaime Seltzer

2017 ME/CFS Research Highlights – Study Developments on Our Radar

By SMCI

We highlight important advances in the ME/CFS field from 2017. These advances build on promising research and reflect the dynamic momentum occurring on all fronts. Many of these studies are interdisciplinary and have relevance in more than one category.

Research Highlights from 2018 so far: Notable Study Developments

By SMCI

The first half of 2018 has yielded over 100 publications specifically addressing various aspects of ME/CFS. Reports encompass familiar domains such as neuroimaging, cytokine abnormalities and NK cell function, as well as explorations of novel technologies in biomarker identification and new findings of endocrine dysfunction, premature aging, post exertional inflammation and autoimmune activity. Here, we summarize highlights from many of the primary research articles published in the past 6 months

An A to Z Index of the Most Important Published Research

By ME Association

You can also read monthly abstract updates here and research summaries from Dr. Charles Shepherd here.

Charles Shepherd Summaries (2019, 2018, 2017)