Dr. Vernon and her team determined that new incidence cases of ME/CFS were 15 times higher than pre-pandemic levels.
NIH
On the 13th January 2025, a study ‘Incidence and Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Report from the Observational RECOVER-Adult Study' was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The following corresponding press release was released by the NIH (National Institute of health).
Extracts
New findings from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may be associated with an increase in the number of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) cases. According to the results, 4.5% post-COVID-19 participants met ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, compared to 0.6% participants that had not been infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The research team, led by Suzanne D. Vernon, Ph.D., from the Bateman Horne Center in Salt Lake City, examined adults participating in the RECOVER adult cohort study to see how many met the IOM clinical diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS at least six months after their infection. Included in the analysis were 11,785 participants who had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 and 1,439 participants who had not been infected by the virus. Findings appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Post-exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance, and cognitive impairment were the most reported ME/CFS symptoms among participants in the infected group. Limitations of this study include reliance on self-reported symptoms, exclusion of RECOVER participants who had been hospitalized, and the sporadic nature of ME/CFS symptoms.
More research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms of why some people are more likely to develop ME/CFS following infection than others. Advancing knowledge of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus can result in ME/CFS may help uncover potential treatments for a range of infection-associated chronic conditions.
MEA Comment
A wide variety of viral infections (and some non viral infections) can trigger ME/CFS. This paper contains results from what is probably the largest research study so far to look at the incidence and prevalence of ME/CFS after a Covid infection. – as needed
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
Further Media Coverage
- News Medical: COVID-19 dramatically raises the risk of developing ME/CFS | 16 January, 2025
- Pharmacy Times: COVID-19 Infection Associated With Higher Likelihood of Developing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | 16 January, 2025
- Newswise: COVID-19 Infection Associated With Nearly Eightfold Increase in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | 15th January, 2025
- Daily Mail: Tired all the time? Scientists find new cause of chronic fatigue condition that blights millions | 14th January, 2025
More Information
- How Many People Have ME/CFS | December 2024
- Prevalence: How many people have ME/CFS in the UK? | May 13, 2024
- Nature: Post-Covid ME/CFS and Biomarkers Association with Symptom Severity | August 31, 2022
- Booklet: Long Covid and ME/CFS: Are they the same condition? | May 2023