Is It Useful to Question the Recovery Behaviour of Patients with ME/CFS or Long COVID?

Vink, Mark; Vink-Niese, Friso

doi:10.3390/healthcare10020392

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(91 reference statements)

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“…This is also consistent with recommendations for rehabilitation for outpatients with post-COVID/long-COVID symptoms [ 32 ]. However, these findings are contrary to other studies that found that graded physical exercise can be detrimental in treating fatigue [ 33 ]. Thus, further research on this matter is urgently needed.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Digital Interventions for Treating Post-COVID or Long-COVID Symptoms: Scoping Review

Rinn¹,

Gao²,

Schoeneich³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

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Background Patients with post-COVID/long-COVID symptoms need support, and health care professionals need to be able to provide evidence-based patient care. Digital interventions can meet these requirements, especially if personal contact is limited. Objective We reviewed evidence-based digital interventions that are currently available to help manage physical and mental health in patients with post-COVID/long-COVID symptoms. Methods A scoping review was carried out summarizing novel digital health interventions for treating post-COVID/long-COVID patients. Using the PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) scheme, original studies were summarized, in which patients with post-COVID/long-COVID symptoms used digital interventions to help aid recovery. Results From all scanned articles, 8 original studies matched the inclusion criteria. Of the 8 studies, 3 were “pretest” studies, 3 described the implementation of a telerehabilitation program, 1 was a post-COVID/long-COVID program, and 1 described the results of qualitative interviews with patients who used an online peer-support group. Following the PICO scheme, we summarized previous studies. Studies varied in terms of participants (P), ranging from adults in different countries, such as former hospitalized patients with COVID-19, to individuals in disadvantaged communities in the United Kingdom, as well as health care workers. In addition, the studies included patients who had previously been infected with COVID-19 and who had ongoing symptoms. Some studies focused on individuals with specific symptoms, including those with either post–COVID-19 or long-term symptoms, while other studies included patients based on participation in online peer-support groups. The interventions (I) also varied. Most interventions used a combination of psychological and physical exercises, but they varied in duration, frequency, and social dimensions. The reviewed studies investigated the physical and mental health conditions of patients with post-COVID/long-COVID symptoms. Most studies had no control (C) group, and most studies reported outcomes (O) or improvements in physiological health perception, some physical conditions, fatigue, and some psychological aspects such as depression. However, some studies found no improvements in bowel or bladder problems, concentration, short-term memory, unpleasant dreams, physical ailments, perceived bodily pain, emotional ailments, and perceived mental health. Conclusions More systematic research with larger sample sizes is required to overcome sampling bias and include health care professionals’ perspectives, as well as help patients mobilize support from health care professionals and social network partners. The evidence so far suggests that patients should be provided with digital interventions to manage symptoms and reintegrate into everyday life, including work.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Digital Interventions for Treating Post-COVID or Long-COVID Symptoms: Scoping Review

Rinn¹,

Gao²,

Schoeneich³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

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show abstract

“…To ensure people with long COVID and associated conditions can receive adequate care now, professional societies and government agencies must educate the health-care and research workforce on these illnesses, including the history of and current best practices for ME/CFS to not repeat mistakes of the past, which have worsened patients’ prognoses. The research community has made a misstep in its efforts to treat ME/CFS 199 , and some physicians, poorly educated in the aetiology and pathophysiology of the disorder, still advise patients to pursue harmful interventions such as graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy, despite the injury that these interventions cause 200 and the fact that they are explicitly not advised as treatments 163 , 164 , 166 .…”

Section: Challenges and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Davis¹,

McCorkell²,

et al. 2023

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Long COVID is an often debilitating illness that occurs in at least 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. More than 200 symptoms have been identified with impacts on multiple organ systems. At least 65 million individuals worldwide are estimated to have long COVID, with cases increasing daily. Biomedical research has made substantial progress in identifying various pathophysiological changes and risk factors and in characterizing the illness; further, similarities with other viral-onset illnesses such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome have laid the groundwork for research in the field. In this Review, we explore the current literature and highlight key findings, the overlap with other conditions, the variable onset of symptoms, long COVID in children and the impact of vaccinations. Although these key findings are critical to understanding long COVID, current diagnostic and treatment options are insufficient, and clinical trials must be prioritized that address leading hypotheses. Additionally, to strengthen long COVID research, future studies must account for biases and SARS-CoV-2 testing issues, build on viral-onset research, be inclusive of marginalized populations and meaningfully engage patients throughout the research process.

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“…Future interdisciplinary research needs to establish whether there are biological, behavioral, and psychological predictors that determine the effect of vaccination after infection on functional immune response and recovery processes [ 23 , 25 ]. Although both cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy appear rather ineffective and have potential side effects, some lifestyle changes, such as plant-based diets, have been found to be promising in supporting post-/long-COVID management [ 49 , 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is especially important because limited workability is problematic not only for the individual (because of limited social participation and economic demands) but also for society (because of limited productivity and skills shortage, and costly reintegration demands to be covered by the social welfare system). This needs to be addressed based on theories and evidence, including psychological and behavioral approaches (e.g., [ 49 ]), immune phenotypes [ 54 ], and adaptive-like NK cell phenotype [ 55 , 56 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients’ Post-/Long-COVID Symptoms, Vaccination and Functional Status—Findings from a State-Wide Online Screening Study

2023

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(1) Background: Better understanding of post-/long-COVID and limitations in daily life due to the symptoms as well as the preventive potential of vaccinations is required. It is unclear whether the number of doses and timepoint interrelate with the trajectory of post-/long-COVID. Accordingly, we examined how many patients positively screened with post-/long-COVID were vaccinated and whether the vaccination status and the timepoint of vaccination in relation to the acute infection were related to post-/long-COVID symptom severity and patients’ functional status (i.e., perceived symptom severity, social participation, workability, and life satisfaction) over time. (2) Methods: 235 patients suffering from post-/long-COVID were recruited into an online survey in Bavaria, Germany, and assessed at baseline (T1), after approximately three weeks (T2), and approximately four weeks (T3). (3) Results: 3.5% were not vaccinated, 2.3% were vaccinated once, 20% twice, and 53.3% three times. Overall, 20.9% did not indicate their vaccination status. The timepoint of vaccination was related to symptom severity at T1, and symptoms decreased significantly over time. Being vaccinated more often was associated with lower life satisfaction and workability at T2. (4) Conclusions: This study provides evidence to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, as it has shown that symptom severity was lower in those patients who were vaccinated prior to the infection compared to those getting infected prior to or at the same time of the vaccination. However, the finding that being vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 more often correlated with lower life satisfaction and workability requires more attention. There is still an urgent necessity for appropriate treatment for overcoming long-/post-COVID symptoms efficiently. Vaccination can be part of prevention measures, and there is still a need for a communication strategy providing objective information about the usefulness and risks of vaccinations.

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Is It Useful to Question the Recovery Behaviour of Patients with ME/CFS or Long COVID?

Cited by 15 publications

References 56 publications

Digital Interventions for Treating Post-COVID or Long-COVID Symptoms: Scoping Review

Digital Interventions for Treating Post-COVID or Long-COVID Symptoms: Scoping Review

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Patients’ Post-/Long-COVID Symptoms, Vaccination and Functional Status—Findings from a State-Wide Online Screening Study

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