Vaccination Nation: The not-so-long odds of long COVID | 1A

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky answers is seen during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC.

“Many patients are coming back to the clinic a year and a half after having COVID-19 and some of them are developing onset diabetes and heart disease. We lump all of these experiences under long COVID but it’s unlikely to be just one thing,” – Dr. Ziyad Al-Aliy

We assemble a panel of experts to discuss long COVID and ask listeners to share their experiences.

Source: Vaccination Nation: The not-so-long odds of long COVID | 1A

NIH VideoCast – Beyond the Symptom: The Biology of Fatigue

In September 2021 the NIH hosted a virtual workshop entitled Beyond the Symptom: Biology of Fatigue to bring together individuals who do research on fatigue, health care providers who see patients with fatigue, and individuals who have fatigue and patient advocates. This workshop was a joint workshop of the NIH Blueprint Neuroscience Research Program and the Sleep Research Society.

The entirety of the workshop can be streamed on the links below:

NIH VideoCast – Beyond the Symptom: The Biology of Fatigue (Day 1)

NIH VideoCast – Beyond the Symptom: The Biology of Fatigue (Day 2)

£3.2m Funding for DecodeME, the Largest Ever ME/CFS DNA Study

Co-Principal Investigator Dr Luis Nacul, CureME Biobank, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, says: “Unlocking the genetic susceptibility to ME/CFS is a key part of understanding what causes ME/CFS and the disease mechanisms involved. This, in conjunction with other biomedical research into ME/CFS, should finally pave the way to better diagnosis and the development of specific treatments for this debilitating disease.”

Source: Patients, scientists and advocates celebrate £3.2m funding for DecodeME, the largest ever ME/CFS DNA study – DecodeME

COVID-19 Can Last for Several Months

On march 17, a day after LeClerc came down with her first symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 sent Fiona Lowenstein to the hospital. Nine days later, after she was discharged, she started a Slack support group for people struggling with the disease. The group, which is affiliated with a wellness organization founded by Lowenstein called Body Politic, has been a haven for long-haulers. One channel for people whose symptoms have lasted longer than 30 days has more than 3,700 members.

Source: Thousands Who Got COVID-19 in March Are Still Sick – The Atlantic

Researchers Warn COVID-19 Could Cause Debilitating Long-term Illness in Some Patients

The long-term illnesses that can follow viral infections can be devastating ⁠— and are devastatingly common. In 2015, the nation’s top medical advisory body, the Institute of Medicine, estimated that between 800,000 and 2.5 million U.S. residents live with the illness or illnesses awkwardly named myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). An estimated three-quarters of these cases were triggered by viral or bacterial infections.

Source: Researchers warn COVID-19 could cause debilitating long-term illness in some patients | The Seattle Times

Will COVID-19 Lead to an Explosion of ME/CFS Cases?

Noting that studies indicated the virus is able to spread throughout the brain including the hypothalamus, Moldofsky proposed the virus had produced a chronic neuroinflammatory state affecting sleep, pain sensitivity and energy levels. That hypothesis, of course, is identical to similar ones proposed for ME/CFS and fibromyalgia.

Source: Will COVID-19 Leave An Explosion of ME/CFS Cases in its Wake? | simmaronresearch.com