Researchers discovered that persistent fatigue in long-COVID patients is due to less energy production in muscle cell mitochondria. Their study involved a cycling test, which worsened symptoms in long-COVID patients. They found no evidence of residual coronavirus in muscle tissues, and heart and lung functions were normal, pointing to muscle cells as the fatigue source. The study offers a direction for developing targeted treatments and advises light exercise for patients. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Research from Amsterdam shows that the feelings of fatigue in Long-COVID patients is causes by mitochondria that produce less energy.
Scientists from Amsterdam UMC and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) have discovered that the persistent fatigue in patients with long-COVID has a biological cause, namely mitochondria in muscle cells that produce less energy than in healthy patients. The results of the study were published on January 4 in the journal DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44432-3