Korth, Johannes, Steenblock, Charlotte, Walther, Romy et al. · Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme · 2024 · DOI
This small study looked at whether a blood-filtering treatment called apheresis could help 20 people with long COVID symptoms similar to ME/CFS. The researchers found that the treatment reduced harmful antibodies in patients' blood and many patients reported feeling better, with less fatigue, muscle pain, and post-exertional malaise. While these results are promising, the study was small and didn't use a control group, so we need larger tests to confirm whether the treatment truly works.
This study provides preliminary evidence supporting an autoimmune mechanism in post-COVID/ME/CFS pathology and explores a potential mechanism-based treatment strategy. For patients experiencing severe, disabling post-COVID symptoms, this represents an early-stage exploration of apheresis as a possible therapeutic option, particularly relevant given the lack of approved disease-modifying treatments for ME/CFS.
This pilot study does not prove that apheresis is effective, as it lacked a placebo control group and relied on patient-reported outcomes susceptible to expectancy effects. The study demonstrates correlation between antibody reduction and symptom improvement but cannot establish that antibody removal caused the clinical benefits. Findings cannot be generalized beyond the specific patient population studied, and longer-term efficacy and safety remain unestablished.
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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