Researchers from Amsterdam UMC and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) have discovered that the persistent fatigue in post-covid patients has a physical cause. “We see changes in the muscles in these patients,” says Professor of Internal Medicine Michèle van Vugt. The results of the study were published today in Nature Communications.
25 post-covid patients and 21 healthy control participants participated in the study. All participants had to perform a cycling test for 15 minutes. This cycling test causes a long-term worsening of complaints in people with post-covid, called post-exertional malaise (PEM). PEM involves extreme fatigue after physical, cognitive or emotional exertion. The degree of exertion that causes PEM is unknown and varies per person.
Less energy
The researchers examined the blood and muscle tissue 1 week before the cycling test and 1 day after the test. VU sports scientist Rob Wüst: “We saw various abnormalities in the muscle tissue of the patients. At the cell level, we saw that the mitochondria of the muscle, also known as the energy factories of the cell, function less well and that they produce less energy.” Van Vugt adds: “The cause of the fatigue is really biological. Muscles need energy to move. Thanks to this discovery, we can now investigate what is a good treatment for people with post-covid.”
One of the theories about post-covid is that coronavirus particles remain in the body of people who have had the coronavirus. “We currently see no indications of this in the muscles,” says Van Vugt. The researchers also saw that the heart and lungs functioned well in the patients. The greatly reduced condition is therefore not due to abnormalities in the heart or lungs.
Counterproductive
Exercise is not always good for post-covid patients. Brent Appelman, physician-researcher in infectious diseases at Amsterdam UMC: “In concrete terms, we advise these patients to monitor their physical limits and not to exceed them. Consider light exertion that does not lead to aggravation of the complaints. Walking is good, or cycling on an electric bicycle, to maintain some physical condition. Keep in mind that every patient has a different limit.” Van Vugt warns: “Because complaints can worsen after physical exertion, some classic forms of rehabilitation and physiotherapy are actually counterproductive to the recovery of these patients.”
Post-covid-symptomen
Although the majority of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus recover within weeks, a small group develops post-covid. In addition to post-exertional malaise (PEM), complaints in post-covid patients include serious cognitive problems (brain fog), fatigue and exercise intolerance.
2024-01-04 05:00:00
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