Letter: Other impacts possible for those who had covid-19

From Robert Saunders, Balcombe, West Sussex, UK

In your article “The enduring grip of covid-19”, Paul Garner says his symptoms “are the same as chronic fatigue syndrome, with one difference – CFS is defined as not having a cause” (27 June, p 34).

That isn’t accurate. Because there are currently no diagnostic tests for CFS, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), other possible causes of symptoms must be excluded before a diagnosis can be made.

However, it is well established that this illness can be triggered by infections such as the Epstein-Barr virus, and it is possible that covid-19 could lead to ME/CFS in certain cases.