In the News

10 September, 2024

Post-COVID Syndrome: Government-Funded Drug Study Gets Underway

An innovative study for the treatment of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) is starting under the direction of Frankfurt University Hospital’s Department of Infectious Diseases. The research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), will investigate new ways of alleviating the long-term effects of COVID-19, including fatigue and cognitive impairment.

10 September, 2024

Researchers Propose Multimodal Approach To Tackle Post-Acute Infectious Syndromes, Including Long COVID

In a world still grappling with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of international researchers has proposed a novel approach to treating the persistent symptoms that plague many survivors of viral infections. The study, published in Brain Medicine, outlines a multimodal treatment strategy that could offer hope to millions suffering from post-acute infectious syndromes (PAIS), including the condition commonly known as long COVID. Dr. Charlotte Steenblock, lead author of the study from the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden, Germany, explains, "We've learned that post-viral syndromes are incredibly complex, with no single cause or cure. Our research suggests that by combining different treatment modalities, we might be able to reset the body's systems and provide relief to those suffering from these debilitating conditions."

09 September, 2024

Living With Long COVID: What It’s Like To Be Diagnosed With The Debilitating Disease

Even mild cases of COVID-19 are linked to potential long-term repercussions — some of them deadly serious.

09 September, 2024

Can Electroencephalography (EEG) Identify The Different Dimensions Of Pain In Fibromyalgia? A Pilot Study

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a promising tool for identifying the physiological biomarkers of fibromyalgia (FM). Evidence suggests differences in power band and density between individuals with FM and healthy controls. EEG changes appear to be associated with pain intensity; however, their relationship with the quality of pain has not been examined. We aimed to investigate whether abnormal EEG in the frontal and central points of the 10–20 EEG system in individuals with FM is associated with pain’s sensory-discriminative and affective-motivational dimensions. The association between EEG and the two dimensions of emotional disorders (depression and anxiety) was also investigated.

08 September, 2024

Teen Turned Away From College Starts Baking Business

A teenager who was told she would not be able to study for her dream job in healthcare because of her own illness has turned her hand to baking. Alice Wyatt, from Poole in Dorset, had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), which caused her to miss a lot of her school lessons. The 18-year-old began learning to be an occupational therapist at college so she could help others who had the same condition as her. But after being told she was "too medically unfit" to continue, she started a business designing and making cakes.

08 September, 2024

Santa Clara County Holds Special Hearing On Long COVID And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

For many people, COVID-19 no longer seems like a major medical worry. But for others, it persists as a debilitating illness with a constellation of symptoms that can last for months or even years as long COVID. Now medical professionals and researchers are questioning long COVID’s connections with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

07 September, 2024

London Leavers: 'We Moved From East Dulwich To Cambridge For The Sake Of Our Health'

Serious health problems led Michaella and her husband to leave the capital for Edinburgh, before settling in Cambridge.

07 September, 2024

Where Are The Cast Of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em Now? Death, Heartbreaking Loss And Debilitating Diagnosis

On Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Michael Crawford played Frank – one of the most iconic characters in British comedy. After the series came to an end in 1978, actor Michael famously took on the iconic role of the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in the mid-80s. However, in 2004 he dealt a devastating health blow when he learned he was suffering from the post-viral condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The condition debilitated Michael for six years and in 2007 he relocated to New Zealand.

06 September, 2024

Cushing’s Syndrome Masquerading As Fibromyalgia: A Case Series

Three young female patients with a history of generalized body pain were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They visited several specialities which related patients' symptoms to their previous diagnosis of fibromyalgia and were treated symptomatically. These patients developed a multitude of clinical features including fractures, hypertension, abnormal weight gain, proximal myopathic pain and bruising. They were seen by rheumatologists whose assessment was that their clinical features were not entirely due to fibromyalgia and suspected that patients have a possible underlying endocrine cause. Patients were referred to an endocrinologist for further tests with suspicion of Cushing’s syndrome. Laboratory tests and imaging confirmed a diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. Two of them had adrenal adenoma and one had iatrogenic corticosteroid use. These cases emphasize the need for thorough clinical evaluation for patients who are thought to have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion.

06 September, 2024

Association Between Celiac Disease And Fibromyalgia And Their Severity: A Cross-Sectional Study

This is a single center cross-sectional clinical study. The study included 60 patients who were diagnosed with CD by the Gastroenterology Clinic based on American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) criteria. Patients were also asked to complete the Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Symptom Severity Scale (SSS), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) to diagnose fibromyalgia and assess its severity. The results were used to analyze the frequency of concomitance and relationship between the two diseases.