The goal of this proposal is to understand underlying biological mechanisms behind chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and long-term symptoms from COVID-19 (LongCOVID) using genetics and epidemiology. A hallmark of CFS is debilitating fatigue, migrating pain, headache, fluctuating heart rate and dysautonomia. CFS diagnosis can follow infections or self-reported infection, and flu-like symptoms. Similarly, a characteristic in infection with SARS-CoV-2 is that some individuals with relatively mild infection develop long-term symptoms of severe fatigue, pain and dysautonomia similar to CFS. Currently, there is no cure and the treatment options are symptomatic. We will use genetic and epidemiology tools to explore the etiology of CFS and LongCOVID. The project has the potential to discover novel biological molecules, elucidate mechanisms from infections and autoimmunity on CFS and explore the disease burden from CFS and LongCOVID at the population level.

2022

2027