Renz-Polster, Herbert, Scheibenbogen, Carmen · Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2022 · DOI
This article explains that ME/CFS is a serious neurological and immune system disease, often triggered by infections like COVID-19, characterized by extreme fatigue lasting at least 6 months and a unique symptom called post-exertional malaise (PEM)—where even mild activity causes symptoms to worsen hours or days later. The authors stress that ME/CFS is a distinct medical condition that should not be confused with ordinary tiredness, and while there is no cure yet, treatment focuses on managing symptoms, addressing related circulation problems, and helping patients conserve energy through pacing.
With post-COVID syndrome cases substantially overlapping with ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, this editorial's emphasis on recognizing ME/CFS as a distinct neurobiological entity rather than psychological fatigue is critical for appropriate patient management and preventing harmful interventions. The projected doubling of ME/CFS cases underscores urgent clinical and research needs for better diagnostic protocols and therapeutic approaches.
This editorial does not present new empirical research or provide evidence supporting specific treatments; it is a clinical perspective and literature synthesis. It does not establish causal mechanisms underlying ME/CFS pathophysiology or prove efficacy of any particular pacing or symptom management strategies. It reflects current consensus but does not provide the mechanistic or intervention data needed to develop disease-modifying therapies.
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
Renz-Polster, Herbert & Scheibenbogen, Carmen (2022). [Post-COVID syndrome with fatigue and exercise intolerance: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome].. Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00108-022-01369-x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-renz-polster-2022-post-covid,
author = {Renz-Polster, Herbert and Scheibenbogen, Carmen},
title = {[Post-COVID syndrome with fatigue and exercise intolerance: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome].},
journal = {Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany)},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1007/s00108-022-01369-x},
note = {PubMed: 35925074},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/renz-polster-2022-post-covid},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/renz-polster-2022-post-covid
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