A 33-year-old company employee in Tokyo was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) after developing an array of symptoms following his infection with the novel coronavirus.
In early November last year, the man's temperature rose to 38 C but returned to normal within a day. He came up positive for the coronavirus when he got tested as a precaution.
Initially the man's only symptoms of COVID-19 were coughing and mild problems with his sense of smell, allowing him to relax and watch movies as he recuperated at a hotel.
It was about a week after returning home, where he lives alone, that the man started to suffer from various symptoms. He was forced to postpone returning to work due to his heart sometimes pounding, nausea, headaches and ringing in his ears.
Starting one morning at the end of December, the man did his laundry and cleaned up his home. That evening, he was too exhausted to move his legs or arms, while lying on the floor for two hours. In the middle of the night, the man sent an urgent appeal to his mother via the LINE app, saying "It feels like sleep paralysis" and "I can't make it."
His mother came to pick him up by car.
From that point on, "it was like the worst part of the flu lasting forever," the man said. He stayed in bed constantly, except for going to the bathroom or eating.
Despite thorough examinations at two hospitals, no abnormalities were detected. His heart sank when one day his mother said, "Aren't you just trying to escape from reality?"
The man's mind became foggy and he began struggling to use his smartphone or have a conversation. He also suffered from insomnia. A doctor of psychosomatic medicine diagnosed him with depression.
The man learned about Dr. Takashi Yamamura, a neurologist at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Kodaira, Tokyo, from a TV program on COVID-19 aftereffects, and he went to see the doctor with his father in April.
"The infection with the coronavirus may have triggered an abnormal immune response in your brain," Yamamura said after a blood test and a talk about the man's condition. The diagnosis reassured him that the symptoms "are not just [my] imagination."
Yamamura said the man may be suffering from ME/CFS, which causes symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, pain and problems with thinking.
The cause of the disease is unknown, but groups of people have suffered from it soon after pandemics of infectious disease, such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Suspected cases have also been reported in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began.
As there is no established treatment, Yamamura prescribed a steroid drug that has been effective in some patients. About a week after the treatment, the man's lethargy became less severe. Recently, he has recovered enough to be able to take walks and he has started to think about returning to work.
The center has treated about 30 patients with suspected ME/CFS that may have been triggered by coronavirus infections.
"There is little known about this disease and it's difficult for people around the patients to understand, but we now know that it's related to immune abnormalities," said Yamamura. "I'll continue my research to develop a treatment."
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