MEAction has put together a great COVID-19 resources page. This curated page is updated as new information becomes available.
Source: Covid-19 – #MEAction
Health
May 12th Millions Missing 2020 Event Made Virtual
Due to COVID-19 the Millions Missing 2020 Event will be completely virtual. The update read, “Our community has always had a strong, powerful, and supportive virtual presence. This event will be no different.”
The Potential Coronavirus Catastrophe No One is Talking About
The views expressed in this article are purely speculative, there are no known cases currently of ME/CFS being caused by COVID-19.
By not discussing ME as another potential implication of coronavirus, it only adds to the unfolding calamity that the UK, and the planet, could be facing. And moreover, the public needs to be aware of this. Because potentially, for those that get sick with ME after coronavirus, there may be little support available.
Source: The other potential coronavirus catastrophe no one is talking about | The Canary
Early Research on Existing Drug Compounds via Supercomputing Could Combat Coronavirus
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have used Summit, the world’s most powerful and smartest supercomputer, to identify 77 small-molecule drug compounds that might warrant further study in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 disease outbreak.
Source: Early research on existing drug compounds via supercomputing could combat coronavirus | ORNL
ME/CFS is Debilitating but Often Dismissed
A study by researchers at DePaul University, published in 2019 in Health Care for Women International, surveyed 541 people with ME/CFS and found that 89% had experienced a dismissive attitude from a healthcare provider. People with the condition often encounter insensitivity, inappropriate beliefs about causes, inappropriate treatments, disbelief and a general lack of knowledge, the study says. Because ME/CFS symptoms overlap with so many other disorders, like depression, those who have the condition are often misdiagnosed.
Source: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Debilitating but Often Dismissed
Study: The Prevalence of Pediatric ME
Researchers screened a random sample of 10,119 youth ages 5-17 from 5,622 households. Of those who screened positive over the phone, 165 youth went on to medical and psychiatric examinations. Following evaluations, a team of physicians made final diagnoses. Youth were given a diagnosis of ME/CFS if they met criteria for case definitions. Of the 42 youth diagnosed with ME/CFS, only 2 (4.8%) had been previously diagnosed with the illness.
Source: The Prevalence of Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis | News | Newsroom | DePaul University, Chicago
NIH Funds Study of CFS and Mono in College Age Students
“This study may help identify risk factors that make certain individuals more likely to develop ME/CFS after an infection and may provide additional insights into biological causes of this debilitating disease,” said Vicky Whittemore, program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
One aim of the new study is to assess the natural history of and risk factors for the maintenance of ME/CFS following infectious mononucleosis (IM).
Source: Press Releases | News | Newsroom | DePaul University, Chicago
Patients Push Limits for Clues to ME/CFS at NIH
The NIH study is focusing on people who came down with the disease after an infection, of any sort, within five years. That initial infection is long gone but maybe, the body’s normal reactions to illness went into a destructive tailspin. Nearly 500 patients have called seeking to enroll in NIH’s study that is putting a few dozen under the microscope, with a barrage of sophisticated tests few hospitals can offer under one roof. “The ignorance about the condition just vastly dwarfs what we know about it,” said Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of NIH’s National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which is leading the research.
Source: Patients push limits for clues to chronic fatigue syndrome – STAT
FDA: Gabapentin, Opioid Combination May Cause Breathing Problems
New warnings about the risk of dangerous breathing difficulties when gabapentinoids are used with opioids or by certain patients must now appear on product labels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.
Gabapentinoids include: generic gabapentin and brand-name gabapentin marketed as Neurontin and Gralise; gabapentin enacarbil, marketed as Horizant; and generic pregabalin and pregabalin marketed as Lyrica and Lyrica CR.
Source: FDA: Gabapentin, opioid combination may cause breathing problems – UPI.com
RIKEN (Kobe City) and Osaka City University Hospital Announce a ME/CFS Clinical Drug Trial
In a breakthrough 2014 study in Japan, PET (positron emission tomography) scans of ME/CFS patients brains found significant inflammation in the amygdala, thalamus, and hippocampus that correlated with reduced cognitive function, pain, and depression. So far, PET scans have been performed on 19 male patients (26-54 years old) and 38 females (25-60 years old) of which about 40% have been found to have significant inflammation in the brain. Of these, three men have already started the drug trial. In this clinical trial, a PET scan and various tests are performed before any medication is started. After four months of administration of existing drugs currently used to treat cerebral infarction, various tests will be performed again to see if inflammation and symptoms are relieved. By the end of 2020, a total of 90 patients will be scanned, of which 30 patients with significant inflammation will join the trial. If the drug trial demonstrates positive results, there is the possibility of the development of new drugs to treat ME/CFS symptoms.
Source: Kobe Shimbun NEXT | Medical News | Drug development for severe fatigue and pain (ME/CFS)