The False Equivalence of Long Covid and ME/CFS

How can unremitting symptoms of Covid-19 produce ME/CFS when the two syndromes have different viruses in bodily tissues, including their brains?

There are many ways in which medical research changed over the last century, and one of the most important is the drop in frequency of autopsies. In the 1950s, hospital autopsies were performed in about 50% of deaths. “Today, pathologists estimate the rate to be as low as 5%,” Eva Cornman reported on the Yale Medicine website in September 2024. (1)

Why is that important?

Among the physicians interviewed by Cornman was Harry Sanchez, MD, assistant professor and director of Autopsy Services in the Department of Pathology at Yale School of Medicine. According to Sanchez, he finds undiagnosed conditions in 15-20% of autopsies he performs. Among them are tumors, Covid-19, lung masses that turned out to be fungal infections, microscopic tumors, and rare inflammatory diseases. (1)

Why does this matter?

“There is a wealth of information that we glean through an autopsy process that can help inform future care,” according to Yale MICU physician Shyoko Honiden. (1)

One way of differentiating Long Co…