Key Pathophysiological Role of Skeletal Muscle Disturbance in Post COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): Accumulated Evidence.

Background: Recent studies provide strong evidence for a key role of skeletal muscle pathophysiology in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). In a 2021 review article on the pathophysiology of ME/CFS, we postulated that hypoperfusion and ischemia can result in excessive sodium and calcium overload in skeletal muscles of ME/CFS patients to cause mitochondrial damage. Since then, experimental evidence has been provided that supports this concept.

A new phenotype of patients with post-COVID-19 condition is characterised by a pattern of complex ventilatory dysfunction, neuromuscular disturbance and fatigue symptoms.

Background: Patients with post-COVID-19 condition frequently suffer from chronic dyspnoea. The causes and mechanism for dyspnoea in these patients without evidence of structural lung disease are unclear.

Methods: Patients treated for COVID-19 at Charité University Hospital in Berlin received pulmonary function testing including respiratory muscle strength tests and completed health-related quality-of-life questionnaires during follow-up.

Towards an understanding of physical activity-induced post-exertional malaise: Insights into microvascular alterations and immunometabolic interactions in post-COVID condition and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Background: A considerable number of patients who contracted SARS-CoV-2 are affected by persistent multi-systemic symptoms, referred to as Post-COVID Condition (PCC). Post-exertional malaise (PEM) has been recognized as one of the most frequent manifestations of PCC and is a diagnostic criterion of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Yet, its underlying pathomechanisms remain poorly elucidated.

The German Multicenter Registry for ME/CFS (MECFS-R).

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating multisystemic disease characterized by a complex, incompletely understood etiology. To facilitate future clinical and translational research, a multicenter German ME/CFS registry (MECFS-R) was established to collect comprehensive, longitudinal, clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory data from adults, adolescents, and children in a web-based multilayer-secured database. Here, we present the research protocol and first results of a pilot cohort of 174 ME/CFS patients diagnosed at two specialized tertiary fatigue centers, including 130 (74.