Hoffmann, Kathryn, Stingl, Michael, O'Mahony, Liam et al. · Infectious diseases and therapy · 2024 · DOI
This paper proposes a clearer way to define and categorize long COVID by splitting it into three distinct groups: ongoing COVID-19 symptoms, diseases triggered or worsened by COVID-19, and post-acute COVID condition (which includes symptoms like post-exertional malaise and brain fog). Using clearer definitions and standardized medical codes would help doctors diagnose patients more accurately and allow researchers to study long COVID more effectively.
For ME/CFS patients, many of whom have post-COVID condition with PEM as a core feature, this framework is critical because precise terminology enables accurate diagnosis and prevents inappropriate treatment. Standardized definitions also improve research quality by ensuring that studies of long COVID are comparable, accelerating discovery of effective interventions and supporting equitable healthcare access.
This is a conceptual and methodological paper, not an empirical study, so it does not prove that the proposed three-subgroup classification is superior to existing frameworks or that implementing it will improve patient outcomes. The paper does not provide prevalence data, clinical validation of subgroup boundaries, or evidence that this taxonomy will resolve current diagnostic confusion in real-world practice.
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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Hoffmann, Kathryn, Stingl, Michael, O'Mahony, Liam, & Untersmayr, Eva (2024). A Practical Approach to Tailor the Term Long COVID for Diagnostics, Therapy and Epidemiological Research for Improved Long COVID Patient Care.. Infectious diseases and therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-024-01025-x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-hoffmann-2024-practical-approach,
author = {Hoffmann, Kathryn and Stingl, Michael and O'Mahony, Liam and Untersmayr, Eva},
title = {A Practical Approach to Tailor the Term Long COVID for Diagnostics, Therapy and Epidemiological Research for Improved Long COVID Patient Care.},
journal = {Infectious diseases and therapy},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1007/s40121-024-01025-x},
note = {PubMed: 39127990},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hoffmann-2024-practical-approach},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hoffmann-2024-practical-approach
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