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| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Impaired hand grip strength correlates with greater disability and symptom severity in post-COVID myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome |
| Creators Name: | Paffrath, A. and Kim, L. and Kedor, C. and Stein, E. and Rust, R. and Freitag, H. and Hoppmann, U. and Hanitsch, L.G. and Bellmann-Strobl, J. and Wittke, K. and Scheibenbogen, C. and Sotzny, F. |
| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) encompasses a diverse array of symptoms persisting beyond 3 months after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, with mental as well as physical fatigue being the most frequent manifestations. METHODS: In 144 female patients with PCS, hand grip strength (HGS) parameters were assessed as an objective measure of muscle fatigue, with 78 meeting the Canadian Consensus Criteria for postinfectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The severity of disability and key symptoms was evaluated using self-reported questionnaires. RESULTS: Patients with ME/CFS exhibited heightened overall symptom severity, including lower physical function (p < 0.001), a greater degree of disability (p < 0.001), more severe fatigue (p < 0.001), postexertional malaise (p < 0.001), and autonomic dysfunction (p = 0.004) compared to other patients with PCS. While HGS was impaired similarly in all patients with PCS and exhibited a significant correlation with physical function across the entire patient group, HGS of patients with ME/CFS uniquely demonstrated associations with key symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, impaired HGS serves as an objective marker of physical function in patients with PCS. Only in patients meeting ME/CFS criteria is impaired HGS also associated with the severity of hallmark symptoms. This suggests a common mechanism for muscle fatigue and other symptoms in the ME/CFS subtype, distinct from that in other types of PCS. |
| Keywords: | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Post-COVID Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Hand Grip Strength, COVID-19 |
| Source: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| ISSN: | 2077-0383 |
| Publisher: | MDPI |
| Volume: | 13 |
| Number: | 7 |
| Page Range: | 2153 |
| Date: | 8 April 2024 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13072153 |
| PubMed: | View item in PubMed |
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