Janbazi, Lobaneh, Kazemian, Alireza, Mansouri, Kourosh et al. · American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation · 2022 · DOI
Researchers followed 157 people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and checked on them 12 months later. They found that about 27% still had chronic fatigue and muscle weakness, and about 15% experienced chronic pain, mostly in the lower back and legs. Women were more likely than men to report these symptoms, and many patients were only using pain medications rather than receiving rehabilitation or mental health support.
This study documents that ME/CFS-like symptoms (chronic fatigue meeting CFS criteria) occur in a significant minority of COVID-19 survivors even 12 months post-infection, providing evidence for post-viral fatigue syndrome. The findings highlight substantial unmet rehabilitative and mental health needs in post-COVID patients, which is relevant for understanding the broader landscape of post-viral ME/CFS and improving clinical care pathways.
This study does not prove that post-COVID fatigue is identical to ME/CFS, as suspected CFS diagnosis was not confirmed by full diagnostic criteria. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or temporal relationships, and without a control group, it cannot determine whether these symptoms are specifically attributable to COVID-19 or overlap with baseline conditions in the population.
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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