Harvard University
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Long COVID and ME/CFS
Long COVID is a long-lasting illness after COVID-19; ME/CFS is a serious long-term illness with severe tiredness that gets worse after activity.
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What is Long COVID?
Long COVID is a chronic condition that follows infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 and lasts at least three months. Anyone who has had COVID-19 can get it, including children, after a mild or a severe illness. It is more common after severe illness and in people who were not vaccinated. Symptoms can come and go, get better or worse, and sometimes cause disability.
What are the signs of Long COVID?
Long COVID can affect many parts of the body. Symptoms include:
- tiredness and fever;
- shortness of breath and cough;
- chest pain or a pounding heart;
- ‘brain fog’, headaches and sleep problems;
- stomach pain, diarrhoea or constipation.
What is ME/CFS?
ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) is a serious, often long-lasting illness that affects many systems of the body. People have severe tiredness that rest does not relieve, along with problems with thinking and sleep, dizziness and pain. A key feature is that symptoms get worse after physical or mental effort (post-exertional malaise). People with ME/CFS may not look ill. Some people with Long COVID have symptoms similar to ME/CFS.
How are they treated today?
No lab test confirms either condition. Doctors diagnose them from your history and an examination; in Long COVID, routine tests are often normal. There are no approved treatments for Long COVID, and there is no cure or approved treatment for ME/CFS. You and your doctor can make a personal plan to manage symptoms and improve quality of life. With ME/CFS, learning to pace your activity can help. Most people with Long COVID slowly improve, though some have symptoms for much longer.
Machine summary of published research · sources and dates below · 2026-11-06
Written from: CDC: Long COVID Basics (2026-05-06) · MedlinePlus: Long COVID (2026-10-28) · CDC: ME/CFS Basics (2024-05-10) · read on 2026-11-06
- Cure
- No cure yetSource: NICEWhat these labels meanCurable in many cases – treatment can remove the disease completely for many patients.Treatable, not yet curable – treatment can slow the disease and extend life, but it cannot remove it completely yet.No cure yet – there is no treatment yet that stops the disease; care focuses on symptoms.This page
- Standard treatment
- No proven drug; symptom care and rehabilitationSource: NICE
Cure status
- Allopurinol 200 mgPhase 3 · NCT05943821
- AtorvastatinPhase 3 · NCT04904536 · NCT06974084
- BaricitinibPhase 3 · NCT06631287
- colchicinePhase 3 · NCT07280572
- Dapagliflozin (DAPA)Phase 3 · NCT06907251
- FluvoxaminePhase 3 · NCT07359482
- LosartanPhase 3 · NCT05619653
- Low-dose sirolimusPhase 3 · NCT06960928
- MetforminPhase 3 · NCT07280572
- naltrexonePhase 3 · NCT07916259
- Nirmatrelvir/ritonavirPhase 3 · NCT05852873
- Optional interventionPhase 3 · NCT05943821
- PirfenidonePhase 3 · NCT06928272
- PrednisolonePhase 3 · NCT05619653
- REGENECYTEPhase 3 · NCT07184385
- UpadacitinibPhase 3 · NCT06928272
- Anakinra 149 MG/ML Prefilled Syringe [Kineret]Phase 2/3 · NCT05926505
- ApabetalonePhase 2/3 · NCT06590324
- LingZhi capsulePhase 2/3 · NCT06739720
- Maraviroc (MVC)Phase 2/3 · NCT06974084
- SirolimusPhase 2/3 · NCT04948203
- TaurinePhase 2/3 · NCT07682402 · NCT06721949
- Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS)Phase 2/3 · NCT05855369
- AbrocitinibPhase 2 · NCT06597396
- accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulationPhase 2 · NCT06940609
- AER002Phase 2 · NCT05877508
- AnktivaPhase 2 · NCT07123727
- Aripiprazole (low-dose, 1mg)Phase 2 · NCT07714213
- Bevacizumab InjectionPhase 2 · NCT07089719
- CelecoxibPhase 2 · NCT07597902
Closest to patients
- A Multi-Center, Individually-Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Superiority Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of the Combination of Maraviroc and Atorvastatin for the Treatment of Subjects With Long COVIDPhase 2/3 trial: Maraviroc (MVC), Atorvastatin, 10mg, 20mg, 40mgHealthBio, Inc. (sponsor) · 1 hospital in United StatesPhase 2/3Results expected 2026
- Low Dose Sirolimus in People With Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) Long COVID-19Phase 3 trial: Low-dose sirolimusIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · New York, United StatesPhase 3Results expected 2026
- Long Covid (LC)-REVITALIZE - A Long Covid Repurposed Drug StudyPhase 3 trial: Pirfenidone, UpadacitinibINMI Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS · Roma, Italy + 9 more hospitalsPhase 3Results expected 2026
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You do not need the right words. Ask what your relative wants to know, and let them set the pace. These pages can help.
Support for you as a carer
Looking after someone is work too. These organisations help carers, and the list further down this page shows helplines by country.
Power of attorney and patient rights, by country
A doctor can share information and a relative can act only with the patient's consent or a legal authority. It is easier to arrange this early.
- Hungary: patient rights representatives (Integrált Jogvédelmi Szolgálat)
- Germany: power of attorney and care directives (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- Austria: adult protection and representation (Ministry of Justice)
- United Kingdom: lasting power of attorney (GOV.UK)
- EU: your rights to healthcare in another EU country (Your Europe)
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Children are often treated differently from adults, in specialist centres. Here is where to start.
Before you pay
Parents often receive offers of paid treatment. Please go through this list before you pay for anything.
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RSS feedCalendar reminderPublication
Development and initial content validation of the Vienna post-exertional malaise questionnaire: an iterative mixed-methods study.
Development and initial content validation of the Vienna post-exertional malaise questionnaire: an iterative mixed-methods study.
Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation
PubMed · PMID 42998183Publication
Implementation effectiveness of the Long COVID and Fatiguing Illnesses Recovery Program (LC&FIRP): a multimodal Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model for clinician learning.
Implementation effectiveness of the Long COVID and Fatiguing Illnesses Recovery Program (LC&FIRP): a multimodal Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model for clinician learning.
Frontiers in health services
PubMed · PMID 42996642Publication
A novel model demonstrating that human immune cells promote multiorgan SARS-CoV-2 dissemination and human T cells limit anti-viral innate immunity.
A novel model demonstrating that human immune cells promote multiorgan SARS-CoV-2 dissemination and human T cells limit anti-viral innate immunity.
Frontiers in immunology
PubMed · PMID 42991755Preprint
Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Multiple Sclerosis are associated with lower translocator protein binding affinity genotypes.
Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Multiple Sclerosis are associated with lower translocator protein binding affinity genotypes.
medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences
PubMed · PMID 42996068
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If the treatment has stopped working, or you were told there are no more options, here is what you can ask and where you can look next.
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Trials for people who have already been treated
Many trials look specifically for people who have already had treatment. Registries mark these with words like "previously treated", "refractory" or "relapsed". The trial team decides who can take part.
What a phase 1 trial is for
A phase 1 trial mainly tests whether a new medicine is safe and which dose can be given. It is not built to show that the medicine works.
Compassionate use
Some medicines not yet approved can be given outside a trial when there is no other option. This does not exist for every medicine or in every country. Your doctor makes the request, and the authority or the manufacturer decides.
- EU: European Medicines Agency
- Hungary: OGYÉI
- Germany: BfArM
- Austria: BASG
- United Kingdom: Early Access to Medicines (MHRA)
A second opinion
Asking for a second opinion is normal and does not mean you distrust your doctor. Take your results and a list of your treatments with you. For rare diseases, your doctor can also ask a European Reference Network.
Palliative care
This is care for symptoms and quality of life, and you can have it alongside other treatment. It does not mean anyone has given up on you.
Before you pay
In this situation many people receive offers of paid treatment. Go through this list before you pay for anything.
If this feels too heavy right now
You can talk to someone. In Hungary and in the UK, 116 123 is a free line for emotional support, day and night. The list on this page shows helplines in other countries.
Not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything in your treatment.
Organisations that can help
Helplines, patient groups and support services for you and your family.
Select your country to see the organisations there, starting with the ones closest to you.
Umbrella organisations (they connect national groups)
European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA)
Umbrella of 21 pan-European neurology patient groups; map of European neurology patient organisations.
Visit site: European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA)
European ME Alliance (EMEA)
Grouping of national ME organisations in about 20 countries: ME guidelines, fact sheets, country member pages; leads patient involvement in the EU DISCOVER-ME project.
Visit site: European ME Alliance (EMEA)
European ME Coalition
Patient- and carer-led European ME/CFS advocacy for biomedical research funding (EU Parliament petition and resolution).
Visit site: European ME Coalition
Long COVID Europe
Patient-run European network of Long COVID associations: shares information and contacts, pushes for recognition, patient-focused research and rehabilitation; WHO/Europe collaborating partner.
Visit site: Long COVID EuropeWorld ME Alliance
Global alliance of national ME/CFS organisations (formerly IAfME): coordinated policy dialogue, shared advocacy resources; also covers post-COVID conditions.
Visit site: World ME Alliance
General support
For anyone who is ill, whatever the disease: patients' rights and legal aid, crisis lines, hospice and palliative care, care in another EU country, and patient organisations' umbrella bodies.
International
European Patients' Forum (EPF)
Umbrella of European patient organisations and national patient coalitions.
Visit site: European Patients' Forum (EPF)
International Alliance of Patients' Organizations
Global alliance of patient organisations of all diseases, promoting patient-centred healthcare.
Visit site: International Alliance of Patients' Organizations
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Groups with active Long COVID and ME/CFS work.
Stanford University
Stanford, United States
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University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States
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University of Washington
Seattle, United States
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Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States
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University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom
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Stanford Medicine
Stanford, United States
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States
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University College London
London, United Kingdom
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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States
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Inserm
Paris, France
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Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States
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