A recent study from Berlin tells us some worrying news: for many people who had COVID-19, the fatigue and weakness can last over a year and a half!
Researchers closely watched 106 people, mainly women, who still felt really tired six months after they first got sick. The study divided these long-haulers into two groups based on their symptoms.
The first group had ME/CFS, a disease that makes you extremely tired all the time. The second group had similar but less severe symptoms.
The study found that people in the first group didn’t get much better, while those in the second group saw some improvement.
What Exactly Is Long COVID?
By now, we’ve all heard of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. For most people, the symptoms—like fever and cough—go away after a couple of weeks.
But some people aren’t so lucky. They continue to feel bad for months, with problems like trouble breathing, not being able to focus, and feeling very, very tired.
This is what doctors call “Long COVID” or “post-COVID syndrome.” If you’re still feeling sick three months after catching COVID-19 and doctors can’t find any other reason for it, you may have Long COVID.
Interestingly, more women than men report these long-term symptoms. We’re not sure why this is the case, but it’s one of the many questions researchers are trying to answer.
ME/CFS vs. Long COVID
So, what is ME/CFS? It stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Like Long COVID, it often starts after you’ve had an infection.
But instead of getting better, you stay tired—so tired that even small activities can knock you out for days. It’s a terrible feeling, like having the worst flu that never ends.
If you’ve been exhausted for months and also feel worse after even mild exercise, you might have ME/CFS.
ME/CFS isn’t new. Even before COVID-19, about 0.3% of people worldwide had it. But the number has gone up because some people who get COVID-19 end up with ME/CFS.
Tips for Managing Long-Term Tiredness
As of now, there’s no cure for ME/CFS or Long COVID. So what can you do? One key tip is to not overdo it. Listen to your body.
If you’re tired, rest. Using tools like step counters or heart rate monitors can help you keep track of how much you’re doing so that you don’t overwork yourself.
Why Does This Matter?
Imagine being so tired that you can’t go back to work, play with your kids, or even do simple chores. That’s the reality for millions of people in Europe alone, according to the World Health Organization.
In fact, the study says that Long COVID has doubled the number of people with conditions like ME/CFS in Europe.
This is not just a problem for the people who are sick but also a big challenge for healthcare systems that now have to care for all these long-haulers.
So what’s next? Well, the researchers noticed that people who had a stronger grip at the beginning of their illness didn’t feel as bad later on.
While this is an interesting clue, it’s not enough to draw solid conclusions. More research is needed, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Final Thoughts
This study makes it clear: for some people, recovering from COVID-19 is a marathon, not a sprint. While the findings are worrying, they also help us understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 better, which is the first step in finding a solution.
As we keep learning, hopefully, we’ll find more ways to help those suffering from the long-lasting effects of this virus.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about drug duo that could help cure COVID-19, and green tea offers possible way to beat COVID-19.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies about the cause of severe inflammation in COVID-19, and results showing extracts from two wild plants can inhibit COVID-19 virus.
The study was published in eClinicalMedicine.
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