Harabuchi, Yasuaki, Kumai, Takumi, Nishi, Kensuke et al. · JMA journal · 2025 · DOI
This article discusses chronic epipharyngitis—long-term inflammation in the upper throat—and describes a treatment called epipharyngeal abrasion therapy (EAT) that aims to reduce this inflammation. The authors note that this throat inflammation may cause various symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, and cough, and they review evidence that EAT might help some patients, including those with long COVID. However, this paper has been retracted and should not be relied upon for clinical decisions.
For ME/CFS patients, this work proposes a potential peripheral inflammatory mechanism (chronic epipharyngitis) that could explain central nervous system symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, and dysautonomia through vagal and cerebrospinal fluid pathways. If valid, it might point toward a testable biological mechanism and treatment option; however, the retraction status severely limits its credibility and applicability.
This retracted review does not prove that chronic epipharyngitis is a causative factor in ME/CFS or long COVID, nor does it establish the safety or efficacy of EAT for any condition. The retraction indicates serious concerns about the article's reliability, and readers should not regard it as established evidence. Reviews present secondary synthesis rather than primary evidence, and mechanistic proposals remain unproven without controlled trials.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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