Incidence and Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Report from the Observational RECOVER-Adult Study, 2024, Vernon +

and this puts an enormous question mark over the study.

The highest credible prevalence rates we have for ME/CFS, from the recent Samms/Ponting study, is 0.6%. Seems hard to believe they found the same rate of NEW cases a year in the non-Covid control group Something doesn’t add up. You would expect incidence to be so much lower than prevalence.

 

This seems to be getting a significant amount of traction in the media. I get Google Alerts for news that mentions "ME/CFS" and there have been a surprisingly high number of results for this the past few days. 23 articles in 5 days.

And this morning I heard it used as a question in a trivia game podcast on NPR. (47:20 in the January 18 episode)

"According to a new report, one in twenty people who caught *blank* suffer long term effects."

 

Commentary from Koroshetz on RECOVER ME/CFS publication with Healio:

https://www.healio.com/news/infecti...v2-infection-with-increase-in-chronic-fatigue

 

“Given the estimate of 20 million in the U.S. with long COVID, this translates into hundreds of thousands of persons in the U.S. developing ME/CFS due to the pandemic,” Koroshetz said. “Both research and health care should focus on ME/CFS as the numbers of new long COVID cases start to shrink.”

Do we know new cases of Long Covid are decreasing?

 

This study has reached us too, I have seen articles about it in two well-known news outlets here. This was also one of those extremely rare (or non-existent, rather) instances, when someone other than me used the word ME/CFS in an article, instead of just chronic fatigue syndrome.

So I would hazard a guess that it is picked up by the media in various different countries, even if we are talking about just a few articles here and there.

 

A Reddit post —

(Zurich)

 

If it’s the “Chronic Fatigue” clinic at Zürich university it is unfortunately “holistic” code word for psychobehavioural.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1881394525966606551

 

People with ME/CFS meeting the IOM criteria (50% reducing in functioning) had too mild symptoms to qualify for a long COVID diagnosis. That seems weird to me.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1881423359269024078

Leora Horwitz: “Yes, PASC algorithm includes symptom severity; for ME/CFS we required reduction in overall function but not every symptom mod/severe. So, possible to have overall disability + a mild symptom that counted for ME/CFS but potentially not for PASC. Again, 89% overlap: small subgroup.”

 

It seems to me like this is something they should have been able to predict and avoid in the design phase..

 

What exactly do they mean by PASC Algorithm? Recover has published different studies with different scoring systems. I assume they are referencing their own symptom score published in
Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, 2023, Thaweethai et al?
That symptom score was based on a cohort were more people reported PEM in the uninfected than in the infected group and where the rate of PEM was extraordinarily high. Possibly not very suitable to characterise a relationship with ME/CFS...

 

Having a look at their earlier study this would appear to be the same problem @Trish already commented on back then

 

AIM ImmunoTech Highlights New Article Finding Links Between COVID-19 and ME/CFS
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/aim-immunotech-highlights-article-finding-133000780.html?guccounter=1

 

Many healthcare professionals will read this new summary article

“ME/CFS Incidence Is Higher Following COVID-19

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, reviewing Vernon SD et al. J Gen Intern Med 2025 Jan 13”



https://www.jwatch.org/na58371/2025...&cid=DM2385143_Non_Subscriber&bid=-1507881664

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1886808241482441215


I have commented below this post about how this is likely an overestimation. Not to mention that this prevalence figure is based on people infected with COVID, not the general population.

 

TV clip
https://www.fox7austin.com/video/1587796

Chronic fatigue syndrome cases up since pandemic
Feeling extra tired? A new study suggests COVID-19 could be the culprit. People who have had COVID-19 are m ore likely to develop chronic fatigue syndrome. FOX Medical Team's Dr. Mike talks about the findings.

Posted February 4, 2025 12:38pm CST

 

Shit tier journalism. According to Tom the rest of the segment is sympathetic though.