In the News
Keep up to date with the latest news articles from around the world.
Articles represent the views of their authors and not ME/CFS SA. Always seek advice from a registered health practitioner before changing your care plan.
04 September, 2023
A Protein That Zaps Cellular Energy May Underlie Chronic Fatigue
For individuals dealing with chronic fatigue, even minor physical effort can trigger lasting and overwhelming exhaustion. This perplexing condition, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), affects around 2.5 million Americans. However, the reason why their cells struggle to produce energy has remained somewhat of a puzzle. Now, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have uncovered a potential culprit behind the energy crisis triggered by activity. It’s a protein called WASF3.
19 January, 2024
A Randomized Open-Label Clinical Trial On The Effect Of Amantadine On Post Covid 19 Fatigue
Many COVID-19 survivors experience lingering post-COVID-19 symptoms, notably chronic fatigue persisting for months after the acute phase. Despite its prevalence, limited research has explored effective treatments for post-COVID-19 fatigue. This randomized controlled clinical trial assessed the impact of Amantadine on patients with post-COVID-19 fatigue. The intervention group received Amantadine for two weeks, while the control group received no treatment. Fatigue levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Fatigue Scale (VAFS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) questionnaires before and after the trial. At the study's onset, VAFS mean scores were 7.90 ± 0.60 in the intervention group and 7.34 ± 0.58 in the control group (P-value = 0.087). After two weeks, intervention group scores dropped to 3.37 ± 0.44, significantly lower than the control group's 5.97 ± 0.29 (P-value < 0.001). Similarly, FSS mean scores at the trial's commencement were 53.10 ± 5.96 in the intervention group and 50.38 ± 4.88 in the control group (P-value = 0.053). At the trial's end, intervention group scores decreased to 28.40 ± 2.42, markedly lower than the control group's 42.59 ± 1.50 (P-value < 0.001). In this study, we report the safety, tolerability, and substantial fatigue-relieving effects of Amantadine in post-COVID-19 fatigue. The intervention demonstrates a statistically significant reduction in fatigue levels, suggesting Amantadine's potential as an effective treatment for this persistent condition.
09 February, 2023
A Review Of Interventions And Support Options For Long COVID Patients Returning To Work
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers review recent studies that discuss interventions and support for individuals with long coronavirus disease (long COVID) or other similar conditions involving fatigue that occur after viral infections to help them return to normal activity levels.
29 November, 2022
A Review Of Long COVID With A Special Focus On Its Cardiovascular Manifestations
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has been the cause of the century’s worst pandemic so far: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has led to unprecedented mortality and morbidity, resulting in devastating consequences worldwide. The acute manifestations of COVID-19 including respiratory as well as multisystem involvement have been causes of great concern among physicians. However, the long-term effects of the coronavirus have left many patients battling with chronic symptoms, ranging from extreme fatigue to cardiomyopathy. In this article, we review the chronic manifestations of COVID-19 with a focus on cardiovascular manifestations. We discuss the pathophysiology, post-acute sequelae, clinical manifestations, approach to the laboratory diagnosis of cardiovascular manifestations of long COVID, and a proposed multidisciplinary treatment method. We also explore the relationship between vaccination and the long COVID syndrome.
12 January, 2021
A Scientist Proved Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Real — After His Son Was Devastated By It
A profile of medical researcher Ron Davis, whose son Whitney Dafoe is a severe ME/CFS sufferer.
07 June, 2023
A Serious, Chronic, Complex, And Systemic Disease: On Jennifer Lunden’s “American Breakdown”
A review of Jennifer Lunden’s new book American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life.
03 June, 2023
A Serious, Chronic, Complex, And Systemic Disease: On Jennifer Lunden’s “American Breakdown”
A review of Jennifer Lunden’s new book American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life.
06 January, 2022
A Similar Kind Of Exercise Intolerance Is Found In Connective Tissue Diseases, ME/CFS And Long COVID
US ME/CFS activist Cort Johnson reports that in “Systemic vascular distensibility relates to exercise capacity in connective tissue disease“, Systrom and Singh take on an understudied and potentially important component in ME/CFS, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), joint hypermobility, and similar diseases – the role connective tissue changes may play in exercise intolerance.
10 April, 2023
A Social And Medical Examination Of Long COVID As A “Mass Disabling Event”: Part 4
This is the fourth and final part of a multi-part series on Long COVID.
21 March, 2021
A Stanford Scientist's Quest To Cure His Son Could Help Unravel The Mystery Of Covid-19 Long Haulers
A profile of Ron Davis, professor of biochemistry and genetics at Stanford University in California, whose son, Whitney Dafoe, is a severe ME/CFS sufferer.
