ArticlePloS one2024
Phase-dependent trends in the prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) related to long COVID: A criteria-based retrospective study in Japan.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exploratory Analysis of Serum IGF-I Levels and Symptom Trajectories in Long COVID During the Omicron Period.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Clinical Utility of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Titers in the Management of Patients With Long COVID Infected With the Omicron Variant.British journal of biomedical science · 2026Observational
- Risks of autoimmune and inflammatory post-acute COVID-19 conditions: a network cohort study in six European countries, the USA and Korea.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Mucosal Viruses in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Missing Piece of the Puzzle?International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Clinical Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Long COVID During the Omicron Phase in Japan.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploration of Intersections and Divergences of Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Cureus · 2025Article
- Symptomatic Trends and Time to Recovery for Long COVID Patients Infected During the Omicron Phase.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The Effect on Quality of Life of Therapeutic Plasmapheresis and Intravenous Immunoglobulins on a Population of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients with Elevated β-Adrenergic and M3-Muscarinic Receptor Antibodies-A Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Clinical Characteristics of Vitamin D Deficiency Detected in Long COVID Patients During the Omicron Phase.Nutrients · 2025Observational
- Course of General Fatigue in Patients with Post-COVID-19 Conditions Who Were Prescribed Hochuekkito: A Single-Center Exploratory Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Interrelationships Between Plasma Levels of Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Prolonged Symptoms Due to Long COVID.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe characteristics of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) related to COVID-19 have remained uncertain. To elucidate the clinical trend of ME/CFS induced by long COVID, we examined data for patients who visited our outpatient clinic established in a university hospital during the period from Feb 2021 to July 2023.
methodsLong COVID patients were classified into two groups, an ME/CFS group and a non-ME/CFS group, based on three diagnostic criteria.
resultsThe prevalence of ME/CFS in the long COVID patients was 8.4% (62 of 739 cases; female: 51.6%) and factors related to ME/CFS were severe illness, smoking and alcohol drinking habits, and fewer vaccinations. The frequency of ME/CFS decreased from 23.9% in the Preceding period to 13.7% in the Delta-dominant period and to 3.3% in the Omicron-dominant period. Fatigue and headache were commonly frequent complaints in the ME/CFS group, and the frequency of poor concentration in the ME/CFS group was higher in the Omicron period. Serum ferritin levels were significantly higher in female patients in the ME/CFS group infected in the Preceding period. In the ME/CFS group, the proportion of patients complaining of brain fog significantly increased from 22.2% in the Preceding period to 47.9% in the Delta period and to 81.3% in the Omicron period. The percentage of patients who had received vaccination was lower in the ME/CFS group than the non-ME/CFS group over the study period, whereas there were no differences in the vaccination rate between the groups in each period.
conclusionThe proportion of long COVID patients who developed ME/CFS strictly diagnosed by three criteria was lower among patients infected in the Omicron phase than among patients infected in the other phases, while the proportion of patients with brain fog inversely increased. Attention should be paid to the variant-dependent trends of ME/CFS triggered by long COVID (300 words).
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