40% of SARS-CoV (2002 epidemic) survivors still report Chronic Fatigue after long term followup 4 years later; 27% met CDC critera for ME/CFS (2009)

[junkcrap50]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20008700/

Arch Intern Med. 2009 Dec 14;169(22):2142-7. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.384.
Mental morbidities and chronic fatigue in severe acute respiratory syndrome survivors: long-term follow-up.
Lam MH1, Wing YK, Yu MW, Leung CM, Ma RC, Kong AP, So WY, Fong SY, Lam SP.
Author information

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Short-term follow-up studies of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) survivors suggested that their physical conditions continuously improved in the first year but that their mental health did not. We investigated long-term psychiatric morbidities and chronic fatigue among SARS survivors.
METHODS:
All SARS survivors from the hospitals of a local region in Hong Kong were assessed by a constellation of psychometric questionnaires and a semistructured clinical interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) to determine the presence of psychiatric disorders and chronic fatigue problems.
RESULTS:
Of 369 SARS survivors, 233 (63.1%) participated in the study (mean period of time after SARS, 41.3 months). Over 40% of the respondents had active psychiatric illnesses, 40.3% reported a chronic fatigue problem, and 27.1% met the modified 1994 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. Logistic regression analysis suggested that being a health care worker at the time of SARS infection (odds ratio [OR], 3.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12- 9.39; P = .03), being unemployed at follow-up (OR, 4.71; 95% CI, 1.50-14.78; P = .008), having a perception of social stigmatization (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.20-7.60; P = .02), and having applied to the SARS survivors' fund (OR, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.18-7.22; P = .02) were associated with an increased risk of psychiatric morbidities at follow-up, whereas application to the SARS survivors' fund (OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.07-6.51; P = .04) was associated with increased risk of chronic fatigue problems.
CONCLUSIONS:
Psychiatric morbidities and chronic fatigue persisted and continued to be clinically significant among the survivors at the 4-year follow-up. Optimization of the treatment of mental health morbidities by a multidisciplinary approach with a view for long-term rehabilitation, especially targeting psychiatric and fatigue problems and functional and occupational rehabilitation, would be needed.

 

[junkcrap50]

Coronavirus discussion groups on Reddit commenting on this paper:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Coronavirus/comments/feflpq

https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comments/febxza

 

[junkcrap50]

If this epidemic goes world wide and spread to millions, good chance CFS will become much more well known, and hopefully taken more seriously.

 

[Hip]

Not good.

There's also a 2011 study which found that one year after their initial infection, 87% of Toronto patients with SARS were still symptomatic, the symptoms being pain, reduced vitality, physical, mental, and social functioning. And 17% were still severe enough with chronic post-SARS syndrome that they had not returned to work.

If the COVID-19 coronavirus also triggers this ME/CFS-like chronic illness, it may mean existing ME/CFS patients who catch COVID-19 will experience worsened ME/CFS.


I've not heard of any chronic COVID-19 cases yet, but it is probably too early to tell. There are however several cases where a COVID-19 patient had recovered and tested negative for the virus after recovery, but then some weeks later tested positive again. It is thought this may be due to the virus reactivating. Thus it certainly looks like the COVID-19 virus is capable of creating long-term lingering infections in some people, which may create a chronic illness.

 

[Jackb23]

I believe it’s Lipkin who is working as an asset on the behalf of the Coronavirus outbreak. If an ME/CFS like illness is found to be a common complication of the virus, he is likely to be one of the first to bridge the gap in knowledge for why we must figure out both illnesses, both acute coronavirus and then chronic me/cfs.

 

[junkcrap50]

If the COVID-19 coronavirus also triggers this ME/CFS-like chronic illness, it may mean existing ME/CFS patients who catch COVID-19 will experience worsened ME/CFS.

Very likely but that's even if we survive it. I honestly don't expect to suvive if I catch it. I nearly died from CMV/EBV (my first CFS trigger) and the swine flu (my second and worsening CFS trigger).

But you're right about worsening ME/CFS. After my H1N1 infection, my CFS got significantly worse (mild to severe).

Thus it certainly looks like the COVID-19 virus is capable of creating long-term lingering infections in some people, which may create a chronic illness.

It was found that SARS-COV2 can infect the nervous system after it was found in a patients' cerebrospinal fluid. It seems to be particularly targeting the brain stem (sound familar?) & affecting autonomic breathing.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jmv.25728

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1235178507820347392

 

[Bronc]

I had seasonal flu in 2009 which led to me being taken to hospital from work and then I caught swine flu during the back end of the epidemic in 2010 which knocked me off my feet for over a month and led to the development of ME. This new virus does concerns me. I was very fit and healthy when I got swine flu and its crushed me. Now I am so weak I fear that if I caught a respiratory virus again I wouldn't survive. So now I am self isolating for the duration of the current epidemic.
I have looked and cannot find any advice from any medical charity on the level of risk facing people with ME from the c-vrius. Can anyone help with this? Thanks

 

[Hip]

A Reddit thread about the lingering symptoms of SARS-CoV-2, which quotes a NY Times article:

It’s been almost four weeks since I first became sick, and three weeks since I was discharged from the hospital. While my fever and severe shortness of breath have disappeared, my road to recovery has been far from linear.

My second week of illness brought worsened GI issues, loss of smell, and intense sinus pressure. In the time since, I’ve experienced fatigue, intense headaches, continued congestion, a sore throat, trouble focusing and short-term memory loss.

Even more confusing than the arrival of new symptoms is the way my progress seems to stop and start. While the overall trajectory has been one of improvement, good days are often followed by bad ones, and I’m still far from my normal, active self.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Related discussion:

Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, depression & disordered sleep in post-SARS syndrome; a case-controlled study (Moldofsky/Patcai 2011)
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...controlled-study-moldofsky-patcai-2011.83026/
Main points:

• 22 Toronto subjects, 19 females & 3 males, were compared to 7 healthy female subjects and 21 drug-free female patients who fulfilled criteria for fibromyalgia.
• Chronic post-SARS is characterized by persistent fatigue, diffuse myalgia, weakness, depression, and nonrestorative sleep.
• Post-SARS patients had symptoms that were similar to fibromyalgia and CFS.