Anthony L. Komaroff, W. Ian Lipkin · Frontiers in Medicine · 2023 · DOI
Harvard and Columbia researchers conducted a comprehensive review of biological abnormalities in ME/CFS and Long COVID. They found striking overlaps in immune dysregulation, autonomic dysfunction, metabolic disruption, and neurological features. The paper maps the literature to guide researchers working across both conditions.
This review by two leading scientists provides a clear synthesis of convergent biological evidence across ME/CFS and Long COVID, supporting the idea that Long COVID is triggering ME/CFS-like disease and that ME/CFS research is highly relevant to understanding Long COVID.
A narrative review cannot establish causation. The overlap in symptoms does not prove identical pathophysiology.
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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Primary citation
Anthony L. Komaroff & W. Ian Lipkin (2023). ME/CFS and Long COVID share similar symptoms and biological abnormalities: road map to the literature. Frontiers in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1187163
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-komaroff-lipkin-2023-review,
author = {Anthony L. Komaroff and W. Ian Lipkin},
title = {ME/CFS and Long COVID share similar symptoms and biological abnormalities: road map to the literature},
journal = {Frontiers in Medicine},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2023.1187163},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/komaroff-lipkin-2023-review},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/komaroff-lipkin-2023-review
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