Don’t miss the insightful research article published in the Nature Communications Journal from Rob Wüst.
Some people infected with SARS-CoV-2 continue to have symptoms for more than three months after the initial infection. A particular symptom seen in these cases is post-exertional malaise, where fatigue and pain worsen after even mild physical or mental activity. However, the underlying pathophysiological cause is unclear.
In a longitudinal case-control study (NCT05225688), Wüst and colleagues gained new insights into the pathophysiology of post-exertional malaise in people with long COVID.
In this study, the researchers examined 23 patients with long COVID and 21 people from the control group. In addition to several examinations and blood tests, they took muscle biopsies at different time points to measure skeletal muscle abnormalities.
Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID | Nature Communications
Appelman, B., Charlton, B.T., Goulding, R.P. et al. Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID. Nat Commun 15, 17 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44432-3
