It is well documented that many cases of ME/CFS (including mine) have been triggered by viral infections that simply never went away. There are several explanatory theories for this, including the possibilities that either an overactive immune system or ongoing inflammation may be responsible for the persistent, sometimes life-long, symptoms. A recent article in the Washington Post explores the strong likelihood that some survivors of Covid-19 may subsequently experience ME/CFS for months, years, or indefinitely:
Now, as a new pandemic virus is burning through the world and causing many deaths, researchers are raising alarms that the novel coronavirus and the covid-19 disease it causes will also leave in its wake a potentially large population with post-viral problems that could be lifelong and, in some cases, disabling.
At the National Institutes of Health and elsewhere, scientists who have been studying post-viral ME/CFS are seizing the opportunity to focus on covid-19 patients. They want to understand what biological factors separate those who regain their health from those who remain sick.
“We want to look at who recovers and who doesn’t,” said Avindra Nath, the head of clinical neurology at NIH’s Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., who is gearing up to study covid-19 patients. “It’s quite possible some will never get their health back.”
You can read the entire article here.
NOTE: The WaPo article is coauthored by Brian Vastag, who was initially denied disability benefits for his own ME/CFS. I wrote about his case here.