United States: The virus linked to COVID-19 raises the odds of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by nearly eightfold, a study conducted by the University of Utah Health Group has found.
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Research findings were derived from participants drawn from the National Institute of Health’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery Initiative, encompassing 11,785 patents with COVID-19 and 1,439 patents without COVID-19.
Of these, 4.5 percent of COVID-19 patients developed myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, while only 0.6 percent of patients with no COVID-19 developed the same.
What more are the experts suggesting?
Suzanne D. Vernon, the research director at the Bateman Horne Center and the author of the study urged prompt action regarding those findings, ksl.com reported.
“These findings highlight the urgent need for health care providers to recognize and address (chronic fatigue syndrome) as a diagnosable and treatable condition in the wake of COVID-19,” she stated.
Vernon mentioned that the Bateman Horne Center is dedicated to helping providers recognize additional needs.
“Early diagnosis and proper management can transform lives,” she continued.
According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic fatigue syndrome refers to at least six months of tiredness with no improvement when one gets adequate rest, and such tiredness worsens on exertion.
This is because U. Health’s vast study established that new incidences of chronic fatigue syndrome are 15 times higher since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Almost 90 percent of those novel cases were from “the most symptomatic long COVID patients,” U. Health mentioned.
Chronic fatigue syndrome can develop after an individual has suffered an acute illness such as COVID-19.
This method was the first to estimate post-viral infection chronic fatigue syndrome, said Dr. Rachel Hess, associate vice president for research in health sciences at U. Health, ksl.com reported.
“This condition, which predominantly impacts women, has often been dismissed. … This paper will hopefully change the trajectory of research into this understudied condition,” she added.