Simani, Leila, Ramezani, Mahtab, Darazam, Ilad Alavi et al. · Journal of neurovirology · 2021 · DOI
This study looked at whether people who survived COVID-19 developed chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) or PTSD within 6 months of infection. Among 120 COVID-19 survivors in Iran, about 2.5% met the criteria for ME/CFS and 5.8% showed signs of PTSD. Interestingly, the researchers found that having PTSD was not linked to developing ME/CFS in these patients.
This study provides early evidence about ME/CFS prevalence in COVID-19 survivors and challenges assumptions that psychological stress from severe infection necessarily drives post-viral fatigue. Understanding whether post-COVID ME/CFS shares mechanisms with PTSD has implications for both diagnosis and treatment approaches.
This study does not establish that PTSD cannot occur alongside ME/CFS; it only found no statistical association in this specific population. The reliance on screening questionnaires rather than definitive clinical diagnoses means true prevalence may differ. Cross-sectional design cannot determine causation or temporal relationships—it cannot confirm whether COVID-19 actually caused the ME/CFS cases observed.
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
Simani, Leila, Ramezani, Mahtab, Darazam, Ilad Alavi, Sagharichi, Mastooreh, Aalipour, Mohammad Amin, Ghorbani, Fatemeh, et al. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of chronic fatigue syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder after the outbreak of the COVID-19.. Journal of neurovirology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-021-00949-1
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-simani-2021-prevalence-correlates,
author = {Simani, Leila and Ramezani, Mahtab and Darazam, Ilad Alavi and Sagharichi, Mastooreh and Aalipour, Mohammad Amin and Ghorbani, Fatemeh and Pakdaman, Hossein},
title = {Prevalence and correlates of chronic fatigue syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder after the outbreak of the COVID-19.},
journal = {Journal of neurovirology},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1007/s13365-021-00949-1},
note = {PubMed: 33528827},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/simani-2021-prevalence-correlates},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/simani-2021-prevalence-correlates
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