{"id":134991,"date":"2024-12-09T06:49:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T23:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134991"},"modified":"2024-12-09T06:49:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T23:49:47","slug":"why-conditions-like-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-long-covid-are-still-so-mysterious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134991","title":{"rendered":"Why conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID are still so mysterious"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" id=\"article_url\" value=\"2024\/12\/08\/why-conditions-like-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-long-are-still-so-mysterious\/\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In modern-day culture, it\u2019s common to complain about being tired. But for some people, being extremely tired is just one symptom of a disease that\u2019s increased in awareness since the COVID-19 pandemic that can severely impact everyday activities: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2017\/10\/23\/maybe-this-is-all-in-your-head-when-doctors-dont-believe-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">myalgic encephalomyelitis\/chronic fatigue syndrome<\/a> (ME\/CFS). Though the condition has existed for a long time, it can often manifest after a COVID infection, especially as an aspect of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2024\/08\/26\/long-is-a-public-health-for-kids-experts-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">long COVID<\/a>, in which symptoms linger for months or even years.<\/p>\n<p>As research has shown, many long COVID patients either <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ualberta.ca\/en\/folio\/2024\/02\/sickest-long-covid-patients-face-symptoms-nearly-identical-to-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html\">have symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome<\/a> or have been diagnosed with the disease. But just as long COVID remains a complex mystery, so does it\u2019s so-called sister disease, chronic fatigue syndrome. Similarly, it\u2019s a disease that researchers feel hasn\u2019t been taken seriously in the scientific community. Not because it\u2019s new, but because part of its female bias, coupled with its association with extremely debilitating fatigue, which is only one aspect of the condition. Even the term CFS can be misleading.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe name chronic fatigue syndrome does not reflect people&#8217;s symptoms as chronic fatigue is not the main feature of this disease, and for anyone to think that it is would diminish people&#8217;s experiences,\u201d Chris Ponting, a professor at the University of Edinburgh to co-lead of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.decodeme.org.uk\/\">DecodeME study<\/a>, which is the largest ME\/CFS study in the world, told Salon. \u201cIt\u2019s also female dominant, there are five times more people within ME who are female than are male, also more people are more likely to have ME if they&#8217;re older.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That means, Ponting elaborated, that the typical ME\/CFS patient is an older woman. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/me-cfs\/about\/index.html\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>, having ME\/CFS makes both physical and mental exertion difficult. Symptoms can include extreme fatigue, but also trouble thinking, severe tiredness and an inability to do activities, like shower or cook themselves a meal. There is no cure or treatment, and no official diagnosis process.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"right_quote\">\n<p>For ME\/CFS patients, exercise is not usually recommended as a remedy \u2014 and can actually be harmful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cPolicymakers in this world are more often going to be younger males who have very little risk for this disease, and are perhaps completely unaware of the devastation that it has wrought across our population and still does through its sort of sister disease, long COVID,\u201d Ponting said. \u201cAnd without that understanding, without perhaps that personal knowledge, it flies under the radar despite affecting one in 200 people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the most peculiar aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome is its underlying biological mechanisms. In the world of health, people are frequently told that physical exercise is good. It\u2019s an idea that has pervaded all of society around the world and for good reason. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/physical-activity#tab=tab_1\">Scientific research <\/a>has found that regular physical exercise reduces the risk of many types of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But for ME\/CFS patients, exercise is not usually recommended as a remedy \u2014 and can actually be harmful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;ve been told from birth, if you&#8217;re feeling out of sorts, go out outside and exercise, and we&#8217;re told even in our last decades that exercise is good for us,\u201d Ponting said. \u201cBut it is absolutely not true for this disease. It is actually reducing people&#8217;s health, quality of life, and reduces their ability to move.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong><em>Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon&#8217;s weekly newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/newsletter\">Lab Notes<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>As to why that\u2019s the case, Ponting said the answer remains to be discovered, as the biological mechanisms of the disease are not entirely known. What is known, Ponting said, is that a majority of people come down with the disease after an infection. This could indicate that it\u2019s the result of a problem with the immune system. There also appears to be a genetic component to the disease. In the DecodeME study, researchers are focused on studying the DNA of people with ME\/CFS because they suspect some differences could reflect the biological causes of the disease.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Charles Shepherd, a medical advisor to the <a href=\"https:\/\/meassociation.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ME Association<\/a> in the United Kingdom, was diagnosed with ME\/CFS after he contracted chickenpox from a patient.<\/p>\n<div class=\"left_quote\">\n<p>&#8220;It took me two years to get a diagnosis because I didn&#8217;t know what was going wrong.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI had a pretty nasty dose of chicken pox. All the sort of symptoms of chicken pox went away, but I just continued to feel unwell \u2014 not just a bit unwell, but quite unwell,\u201d he told Salon. As a doctor, it was puzzling to him. He had debilitating fatigue that was exacerbated by physical and mental activity. Resting, he said, also didn\u2019t help. He also had post-exertional malaise, which is a worsening of symptoms after minimal activity, which is a hallmark symptom of ME\/CFS.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt took me two years to get a diagnosis because I didn&#8217;t know what was going wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn&#8217;t taught about this illness when I was at medical school, and so again, very common still today, and I did all the all the wrong things from the point of view of management.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Shepherd has been living with the disease for nearly 40 years. Yet he describes himself as one of the \u201clucky\u201d ones who has found ways to manage his symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe output of the prognosis is not good,\u201d Shepherd said. \u201cProbably only around about five to 10 percent of people make a full and sustained total recovery.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ponting said the fact that it occurs after an illness could mean that \u201cthe battery of the cell the mitochondrion has gone wrong in some way,\u201d Ponting said. \u201cBut the shocking thing for me is that we don&#8217;t know, and that&#8217;s why we&#8217;re doing the research.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Shepherd has been able to find relief through \u201cpacing,\u201d which is <a href=\"https:\/\/meassociation.org.uk\/literature\/items\/pacing-activity-and-energy-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">energy and activity management<\/a>. Currently, treatment usually also includes cognitive behavioral therapy to manage peoples\u2019 symptoms. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.actionforme.org.uk\/get-information\/managing-your-symptoms\/graded-exercise-therapy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Graded exercise therapy<\/a>, Ponting said, used to be recommended as part of the UK\u2019s guidance, but isn\u2019t anymore. The therapy included increasing a person\u2019s level of activity, but it proved to be too harmful to people.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Through Ponting\u2019s study, potential breakthroughs could be on the horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;ll show or shine a light down onto what exactly should be studied next,\u201d Ponting said. \u201cBut what we&#8217;re not going to do, unfortunately, is discover a drug that will help people manage their disease over the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"layout_template_wrapper read_more\">\n<div class=\"red_white_box\">\n<p class=\"red_box\">Read more<\/p>\n<p class=\"white_box\">about this topic<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2024\/12\/08\/why-conditions-like-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-long-are-still-so-mysterious\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In modern-day culture, it\u2019s common to complain about being tired. But for some people, being extremely tired is just one symptom of a disease that\u2019s increased in awareness since the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134991\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134991\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}