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Publications

Journal Article Review Epublish 188 citations

PubMed: 37342500 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1187163

ME/CFS and Long COVID share similar symptoms and biological abnormalities: road map to the literature.

Front Med (Lausanne) 10:1187163

Authors: Anthony L Komaroff, W Ian Lipkin

Affiliations

  • Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
  • Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.

Abstract

Some patients remain unwell for months after "recovering" from acute COVID-19. They develop persistent fatigue, cognitive problems, headaches, disrupted sleep, myalgias and arthralgias, post-exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance and other symptoms that greatly interfere with their ability to function and that can leave some people housebound and disabled. The illness (Long COVID) is similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) as well as to persisting illnesses that can follow a wide variety of other infectious agents and following major traumatic injury. Together, these illnesses are projected to cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. In this review, we first compare the of ME/CFS and Long COVID, noting the considerable similarities and the few differences. We then compare in extensive detail the underlying of these two conditions, focusing on abnormalities of the central and autonomic nervous system, lungs, heart, vasculature, immune system, gut microbiome, energy metabolism and redox balance. This comparison highlights how strong the evidence is for each abnormality, in each illness, and helps to set priorities for future investigation. The review provides a current road map to the extensive literature on the underlying biology of both illnesses.

MeSH

Signs And Symptoms, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic, Post-Acute Covid-19 Syndrome

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