Gavrilova, Natalia, Soprun, Lidiia, Lukashenko, Maria et al. · Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2022 · DOI
This study describes a pattern found in some people who developed fibromyalgia (widespread pain) after COVID-19 infection. The researchers noticed that young women with loose, flexible joints who had COVID-19 and a specific tendon injury were more likely to develop fibromyalgia along with signs of inflammation. The study presents three patient cases that fit this pattern, suggesting COVID-19 may trigger fibromyalgia in people whose connective tissues are already prone to damage.
Post-COVID conditions frequently overlap with ME/CFS, and understanding potential pathogenic pathways—particularly how viral infection might trigger pain syndromes in genetically susceptible individuals—could inform better diagnosis and treatment strategies. This hypothesis linking hypermobility, trauma, and viral triggers to systemic symptoms is relevant for ME/CFS patients who report similar symptom clusters and may have unrecognized connective tissue abnormalities.
This study does not prove that COVID-19 causes fibromyalgia in the general population, nor does it establish that hypermobility is a necessary or sufficient condition for post-COVID fibromyalgia development. The case report format cannot determine whether the observed pattern reflects true causation, selection bias, or coincidental clustering. The authors themselves state conclusions should be drawn 'with great caution,' and generalizability to larger populations remains untested.
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 →
Spotted an error in this entry? Report it →