Thread by @WesElyMD

1/🧵 Post-Infectious Syndromes

…a Doctor’s admission
 
📌 I didn’t think #MECFS was real till #LongCOVID opened my eyes
📌 It’s “mysterious” & we weren’t taught it in med school
📌 Yet 1,000s are suffering a disease traditional medicine doesn’t understand
 📌 Let’s find answers

2/ Long COVID is estimated at 6% of US Population… @CDCgov
 
“Prevalence of #longCOVID among U.S. adults ≥18 ⬇️ from 7.5% during June 2022 to 6.0% during June 2023.”

More than 1 in 4 w LC have activity limitations, ie, it’s a LIFE altering disability.
 
bit.ly/3sZH8s2

3/ What is #LongCOVID?

Well, it’s not new…update👇
 
Acute Covid triggers #MECFS as do other infectious agents.
 
“Triggers” means temporal association not “cause” in a mechanistic sense.”

Think also #LongLyme #Fibromyalgia & more

bit.ly/3RyMJ34

4/ There are some well-documented consequences of acute Covid-19 that are caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These are MISC, myocarditis, blood clots, and neurocognitive impairment. These problems are so distressing that all of you suffering this problem must grapple with a new normal. We hope to help through creating community and support groups nationally.
 

5/ Let’s not forget about #PICS:
 
After any severe illness, hospitalization, or treatment, ~30-50% of people develop problems PICS, which is an acquired syndrome that includes PTSD, Depression, new dementia-like cognitive impairment, and severe muscle and nerve dysfunction and wasting. For those w PICS after COVID, it’s impossible to know if PICS was caused by the virus, the immobilization & sedatives, or both.
 

6/ Long COVID & MECFS are real medical problems…
 
That fall in the family of Post-Infectious Syndromes
 
“The list of infectious diseases linked to long term symptoms includes Ebola, West Nile virus, polio, and Lyme disease. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is also thought to be a postviral syndrome.”
 

7/fin
Patients must be heard…Emerging data show post-infectious syndromes have pathobiological & psychological components.
 
Let’s strive toward cultural unity and…
📍Dispel myths
📍Avoid gaslighting
📍Map a path to healing
 
bit.ly/3sYpcOw

Clarification:
Several people are making a distinction between the term “post-infectious syndrome“ and chronic infection. Most clinicians who use the term post-infectious syndrome are not excluding the possibility that there is some form of an ongoing infectious entity or chronic smoldering. The word “post” merely indicates it happens as a syndrome after the initial infection. This does not preclude the possibility of ongoing viral or spirochete problems, for example.