Experts decode what causes fatigue after Covid infection

The nervous system of people with postCovid fatigue was found to be underactive in key areas increasing the risk of fatigue one of the most common symptoms of long Covid according to researchersA team from the Newcastle University in the UK carried out a battery of behavioural and neurophysiological tests on people suffering from postCovid fatigue and compared them to people without fatigueThe researchers discovered people with postCovid fatigue showed underactivity in three specific areas of the nervous systemThey found a slower reaction in specific areas of the brain because of underactivity in specific cortical circuits an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system the network of nerves that regulates unconscious body processes such as blood pressure and the rate of breathing was found to be impaired This can have wideranging effects on several different body processesThey also found muscle abnormalities muscle fibres became more easily fatigued after exercise than in people without postCovid fatigueThese abnormalities in the results on objective tests show that fatigue in long Covid is a measurable disease and these tests may in time help us understand how changes in the nervous system contribute to fatigue said Dr Demetris Soteropoulos Senior Lecturer in Motor Systems Neuroscience at the UniversityThe research has been published in Brain CommunicationsA group of 37 volunteers with postCovid fatigue underwent a range of wellestablished noninvasive behavioural and neurophysiological tests Their results were compared to those of 52 control subjects matched for age and sex who underwent the same tests The tests which provided 33 sets of data included a startle reaction time test electrocardiogram and transcranial magnetic stimulationFollowing on from these findings the team now will begin testing on whether the autonomic nervous system can be modulated to improve symptoms in postCovid fatigueWere examining a noninvasive method which involves clipping an earpiece to the tragus on the ear and delivering small electrical currents to the vagus nerve using a TENS machine familiar to many through its use for pain relief during childbirth said Natalie Maffitt Research Assistant at the varsityThe study will examine the effects of the treatment by measuring markers of inflammation in the blood that are associated with fatigue in other conditions and importantly whether it improves symptoms of fatigueAlso Read lsquoSecuring All India Rank 1 was a surprisersquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever