Symptom profiles in long COVID compared to functional somatic disorder and the general population 2025 Agergaard, Fink et al

[Andy]

Long COVID affects millions globally and includes symptoms in the central nervous, cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal systems [1, 2]. Functional somatic disorder (FSD) is characterised by persisting physical symptoms that cannot be better explained by other physical or mental conditions. The persistence of physical symptoms has been observed after other viral infections besides COVID-19 [3], and prior infections have been reported in patients with FSD [4]. However, research on the possible overlap between FSD and long COVID symptoms is lacking. This comparison is crucial for exploring shared mechanisms and treatments. We compared symptom prevalence and profiles among three Danish cohorts: patients with long COVID, patients with severe FSD and a general population sample, expecting to find symptom profiles similar to those of FSD in some patients with long COVID.

Open access

 

[Utsikt]

CONCLUSIONS​

Patients meeting the criteria for multi-organ FSD exhibited similar symptom profiles.

«Patients that had the same symptoms had the same symptoms.» Seriously, what’s the matter with these people?

GS, including fatigue and muscle pain, were common in both the long COVID and FSD cohorts, suggesting a potential overlap in pathogenesis.

General symptoms are also common in most diseases. Are all of the diseases the same?

Prospective studies on various infections are needed to further investigate shared symptom profiles, underlying mechanisms and treatment options.

As @rvallee will point out, this has been the state of BPS research since the very start. Always «there might be something here», always opportunities to gather more grants.

 

[rvallee]

«Patients that had the same symptoms had the same symptoms.» Seriously, what’s the matter with these people?

We are long past the point at which this question needs to be taken higher, and asking what the hell is with the people at the institutions that allow this charade to continue. This garbage is unnatural, it's propped up artificially.

In this comparative study, we found that patients with long COVID reported more physical symptoms than the general population and fewer symptoms than patients referred to an FSD clinic

This is pretty much literally a "rock as a weather system" type of thing. Rock wet? Probably raining right now. Rock gone? Possibly a tornado or hurricane in the past, or if it's going around wildly probably right now. They asked people whose literal feature is "we have all these symptoms and can't function, we need to figure this out, please help us figure it out" about their symptoms, and found they report symptoms. That could have been an email.

But only restricting them to a few areas, based on their own questionnaires: "cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal (MS) and general symptoms (GS)". Their profiles are pre-determined. This is not research, it is a literal parody of research.

I genuinely have no idea what the people propping this nonsense up are thinking. It's so obvious that it will never amount to anything. But like the problem with wars is always that once started they are very hard to end, it just keeps going because there isn't any courage anywhere within those systems to stop all the harm, for it would expose decades of massive systemic harm.

 

[Sean]

Any discussion of the possibility that the FSD label/concept is invalid, irrelevant, and highly counterproductive?

 

[rvallee]

Any discussion of the possibility that the FSD label/concept is invalid, irrelevant, and highly counterproductive?

I guess they kind of did, although more on the checklist, or whatever:

The BDS checklist was used for research purposes without diagnostic verification. Bias may arise from differences in study design, age, sex, symptom duration, comorbidities, calendar effects, geographic variations and questionnaire presentation. Patient selection was influenced by disease severity, health literacy and healthcare structure. The graphical similarities of profiles were not statistically tested and should be interpreted with caution. Despite these limitations, this study is the first to compare symptom prevalence and profiles among patients with long COVID, patients with FSD, and the general population. This study cannot determine shared disease mechanisms, and similarities may be due to selection bias.

But it doesn't change their conclusions, arrived at from prior beliefs:

Patients meeting the criteria for multi-organ FSD exhibited similar symptom profiles. GS, including fatigue and muscle pain, were common in both the long COVID and FSD cohorts, suggesting a potential overlap in pathogenesis.

So: it could be wrong, but let's assume it's right anyway. Or suggest it, but with a passive voice that makes it seem like a natural conclusion. Words and their meaning, why bother, when clearly no one involved in this cares? They can contradict themselves entirely and it's whatever they prefer that sticks.

 

[Trish]

Maybe we should show just how ridiculous this is by inventing a new disease category. Let's call it 'Symptoms Opinionated Doctors Opine are False and Fake Syndrome'. (SOD OFF Sydrome)

Allocate a long list of symptoms to it, including fatigue, generalised pain, nausea, headache, debility, stomach ache, frequent urination, anxiety, and brain fog.

Now create a questionnaire that picks up everybody with at least 2 of the list of symptoms at least some of the time.

Bingo, you have a new syndrome that overlaps with practically every chronic disease and everyone who visits their GP complaining of any of the symptoms on the list, and can say confidently that all these patients have the syndrome.

Further you can say that this syndrome affects a high proportion of people visiting their GP or specialist, that therefore their symptoms, not being real, are in need of CBT to cure them and save on health care costs.

And so another fake medical industry is perpetuated.

I'd challenge anyone in the Somatic Symptom disorder, Functional disorder, etc industry to expain the difference between their invented syndrome and Sod off syndrome.

 

[rvallee]

Maybe we should show just how ridiculous this is by inventing a new disease category. Let's call it 'Symptoms Opinionated Doctors Opine are False and Fake Syndrome'. (SOD OFF Sydrome)

Allocate a long list of symptoms to it, including fatigue, generalised pain, nausea, headache, debility, stomach ache, frequent urination, anxiety, and brain fog.

Now create a questionnaire that picks up everybody with at least 2 of the list of symptoms at least some of the time.

Bingo, you have a new syndrome that overlaps with practically every chronic disease and everyone who visits their GP complaining of any of the symptoms on the list, and can say confidently that all these patients have the syndrome.

Further you can say that this syndrome affects a high proportion of people visiting their GP or specialist, that therefore their symptoms, not being real, are in need of CBT to cure them and save on health care costs.

And so another fake medical industry is perpetuated.

I'd challenge anyone in the Somatic Symptom disorder, Functional disorder, etc industry to expain the difference between their invented syndrome and Sod off syndrome.