Mclaughlin, Marie, Sanal-Hayes, Nilihan E M, Hayes, Lawrence D et al. · The American journal of medicine · 2025 · DOI
This study measured how well blood vessels work in people with long COVID and ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers found that both long COVID and ME/CFS patients have similar problems with blood vessel function, even though ME/CFS patients have been sick much longer. These findings suggest that blood vessel problems may be an important part of how these illnesses develop.
This research provides objective, measurable evidence of vascular dysfunction in ME/CFS, strengthening biological validity of the condition and supporting the hypothesis that blood vessel impairment may drive symptoms. The similarity between ME/CFS and long COVID patterns suggests common mechanisms and could guide development of targeted cardiovascular interventions for both populations.
This study does not prove that vascular dysfunction causes ME/CFS or long COVID symptoms—it only shows an association. The small sample size and one-time measurements cannot establish whether vascular impairment develops early in illness or emerges over time, nor can it explain the mechanisms underlying the dysfunction. The study also does not clarify whether treating vascular function would improve patient outcomes.
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
Mclaughlin, Marie, Sanal-Hayes, Nilihan E M, Hayes, Lawrence D, Berry, Ethan C, & Sculthorpe, Nicholas F (2025). People with Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Exhibit Similarly Impaired Vascular Function.. The American journal of medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2023.09.013
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-mclaughlin-2025-people-long,
author = {Mclaughlin, Marie and Sanal-Hayes, Nilihan E M and Hayes, Lawrence D and Berry, Ethan C and Sculthorpe, Nicholas F},
title = {People with Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Exhibit Similarly Impaired Vascular Function.},
journal = {The American journal of medicine},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.amjmed.2023.09.013},
note = {PubMed: 37832757},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mclaughlin-2025-people-long},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mclaughlin-2025-people-long
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