Implications of ME/CFS Case Definitions for Long Covid

Our friends at the U.S. Action Working Group are hosting Dr. Leonard Jason, Professor of Psychology DePaul University, for a special webinar event.

Leonard Jason’s talk will cover the content below:

Every disease has a case definition, and these entities are crucial, as they allow patients to have a diagnosis for a constellation of symptoms as well as for scientists who can research those with the illness versus those without the illness. If difficulties occur in arriving at a reliable case definition, there are serious consequences for patients, as they would then be unsure whether or not they have the illness, as well as for scientists, who might then have difficulties in estimating prevalence as well as finding biomarkers. This has occurred for the post-viral illness that is known as ME/CFS and has already begun to occur for Long COVID. The consequences have been increased stigma for patients as to when patient heterogeneity makes it difficult to identify biomarkers, and when they are not identified, health care workers can easily attribute the condition to solely psychiatric reasons. The relevance of ME/CFS takes on even greater importance given recent findings that a PASC-anticipating risk factor at the time of initial COVID-19 diagnosis is the Epstein-Barr virus viremia, which has also been associated with ME/CFS.

Register here.