An article has appeared on the BBC website with research suggesting middle-aged women experience the most severe, long-lasting symptoms after being treated in hospital for Covid-19. This highlights some similarities with ME/CFS along with some differences.
Some quotes are shown below and the full article can be seen here.
The PHOSP-Covid study also found that most people with severe, ongoing symptoms five months after leaving hospital had higher than normal levels of a chemical called CRP in their bodies, which is linked to inflammation.
This is also present in middle-aged women, who are prone to auto-immune conditions in which the body attacks its own healthy cells and organs.
“This may explain why post-Covid syndrome seems to be more prevalent in this group, but further investigation is needed to fully understand the processes,” said Prof Louise Wain, chair in respiratory research at the University of Leicester.
The researchers were also able to identify four different groups or “clusters” of people based on their mental and physical health issues after Covid, with one group showing particular problems with “brain fog”. They tended to be older and male.
“The evidence for different recovery ‘clusters', and ongoing inflammation, really is important in guiding how we conduct further research into the underlying biological mechanisms that drive long Covid,” Prof Wain said.