"Study Identifies Muscle Damage as Key Factor in Long Covid Fatigue"
Dutch researchers from Amsterdam university medical centre have discovered a biological cause for the persistent fatigue experienced by long Covid patients, identifying that their muscle cells produce less energy. This breakthrough, published in Nature Communications, challenges the notion that long Covid fatigue is purely psychological or related to pandemic anxiety. The study involved 25 long Covid patients and 21 non-patients performing a cycling test, revealing post-exertional malaise and energy production issues at the cellular level. This finding opens the door for targeted treatments for long Covid, which has affected an estimated 100,000 people in the Netherlands.