Andreeva, Irina Germanovna, Gvozdeva, Alisa, Pimenova, Vera et al. · Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022 · DOI
This study examined one patient who had both long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome. Doctors tested their hearing and balance systems, and found problems with how the brain processes sounds—particularly difficulty with rapid sound changes and understanding speech. Interestingly, the nerve fibers in the skin and eyes were normal, suggesting the problem is in how the brain handles auditory information rather than in damaged nerves. The researchers suggest that this auditory processing difficulty may add extra strain to the nervous system and worsen fatigue during daily activities.
This study highlights a potentially overlooked mechanism in ME/CFS and post-COVID-19: central auditory processing deficits that may not show up in standard tests. Understanding how the brain processes sound could help explain why patients experience cognitive overload and fatigue during routine activities like conversations. Identifying specific auditory dysfunction opens new avenues for rehabilitation assessment and potentially therapeutic intervention.
This single case study cannot establish whether central auditory processing dysfunction is common in ME/CFS populations or is specific to post-COVID-19. It does not prove causality—whether auditory dysfunction drives fatigue, results from it, or is coincidental. The findings cannot be generalized beyond this individual patient without larger, controlled studies.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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