Rates of chronic fatigue syndrome are similar after COVID-19 and after other infections

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Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash
Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

A COVID-19 infection does not appear to increase your chances of having myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), more than other acute infections, according to US research. The study, which surveyed around 4000 people in the US who had a COVID-19 test, found that those who tested positive for COVID-19 had about the same rate of ME/CFS-like illnesses as those who tested negative. The study found rates of ME/CFS illnesses were around 3-4% for both groups. However, the authors point out that even at those levels, ME/CFS-like illness would impose a high societal burden given the millions of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2.

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JAMA Network Open
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Organisation/s: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA
Funder: The Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE) study was funded by the CDC and by contract 75D30120C08008 from the NCIRD (DrWeinstein).
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