Pediatric Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Overlaps and Opportunities, 2022,Vikram and Rowe

Several good quotes in this and the closing statement is among them.
"While post-COVID clinics are starting to emerge, it will be an important part of managing this and planning for future pandemics that we ensure these clinical efforts succeed. It would only be just and equitable to ensure that those with nonpandemic ME/CFS have similar access to care."
https://journals.lww.com/pidj/Citation/9000/Pediatric_Long_COVID_and_Myalgic.95546.aspx

 

David Spodick once wrote: “We must view published mate rial critically (if not biblically), for too often the ‘Conclusions’ giveth, but the ‘Materials and Methods’ taketh away.” In the December 2021 issue of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal, Zimmermann et al1 provide a masterful application of Spodick’s exhortation.

Their review of the existing evidence regarding long COVID in children enumerates important methodologic challenges in interpreting this literature, including the heterogeneity of available case definitions for long COVID, differences in the time intervals in which symptoms are ascertained, variability regarding which symptoms are included under the rubric of long COVID, and whether laboratory confirmation of the initial COVID infection is required.

Additionally, the authors emphasize that without control groups in many of these studies, and in light of the overlap of some long COVID symptoms with symptoms of prolonged social isolation, it is difficult to discern which symptoms are attributable to the general pandemic circumstances rather than the COVID-19 infection itself.

Despite such limitations, it is clear that pediatric patients are at risk for prolonged symptoms following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although many persistent symptoms, such as anosmia, dysgeusia and shortness of breath are unique to the post-COVID state, many other symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, lightheadedness and postexertional malaise overlap with symptoms found in myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

In this commentary, we review case definitions for long COVID and ME/CFS, emphasize recent research findings on the biologic basis of ME/CFS, discuss the overlap with long COVID, and consider opportunities posed by the pandemic to improve the understanding of both conditions.

Open access, https://journals.lww.com/pidj/Citation/9000/Pediatric_Long_COVID_and_Myalgic.95546.aspx

 

Possibly the best quote about research that I have ever read.