Dolphin
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The Biology of Post-Infectious Chronic Illness
Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine
13.1K subscribers
1,080 views Feb 10, 2026 Clinical Research
Read "ME/CFS and Long COVID share similar symptoms and biological abnormalities: road map to the literature" – co-authored by Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff & W. Ian Lipkin.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/... Fatigue is the body’s hard-wired response to a viral infection.In today’s episode, Haylie Pomroy shares insights with Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff to examine the history of ME/CFS research, the causes and triggers of ME/CFS and other post-infectious chronic illnesses, and the abnormalities observed in the brain and autonomic nervous system among patients with ME/CFS and long COVID.Dr. Komaroff also addresses how patients have often been dismissed within the healthcare system, explains the physical and psychological processes involved in these conditions, and discusses how he and other clinicians are now moving to the forefront of diagnosis and treatment.
Key points:
00:01 Introduction
02:06 Growing interest in ME/CFS research
04:42 Why patients are dismissed by clinicians
06:01 Why “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis” is the better term
07:24 The early stages of ME/CFS research
09:37 Abnormalities in the brain and autonomic nervous system
10:36 Educating and reeducating doctors and physicians
13:02 What causes ME/CFS
17:07 What triggers ME/CFS
19:29 A combination of genetic and environmental vulnerability
21:43 Why some viruses doesn’t go away after 14 days22:54 How ME/CFS and long COVID reactivate EBV
24:44 Honoring an illness’s complexity
26:40 Getting into the forefront of diagnostics and treatments.
29:01 Strengthening the body against symptoms
31:29 Exacerbation is an inflammatory response
35:23 Online resources and information
Register for the Integrative Medicine Luncheon featuring Dr. Payam Hakimi.https://nova.zoom.us/meeting/register...Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff is a distinguished Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has held significant leadership roles, including Director of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Komaroff is known for his research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and human herpesvirus infections. He has published over 270 research articles and book chapters and served on numerous advisory committees for major health organizations.LinkedIn:
/ anthony-l-komaroff-64133346 Facebook: 
/ anthonyl.komaroff
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