Association Between Chronic Pain and Fatigue Severity with Weather and Air Pollution Among Females with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

Abstract:

Weather and air quality conditions have been anecdotally reported to be related to symptom fluctuations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), but this has never been empirically investigated. This exploratory study aims to examine the effects of weather and air quality on daily fluctuations of chronic pain and fatigue in women with ME/CFS. In an intensive longitudinal design, 58 participants with ME/CFS provided daily pain and fatigue ratings for an average of 61 days.

Daily weather and air quality data were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Environmental Protection Agency for the Birmingham, AL area. Linear mixed models revealed a significant relationship between days with more severe pain and worse Air Quality Indices (AQI, p < 0.001), lower wind speeds (p = 0.009), greater particulate matter (p = 0.037), and lower carbon monoxide (p = 0.004), sulfur dioxide (p = 0.003), and ozone levels (p = 0.015).

Greater fatigue was associated with more particulates (p = 0.023) and lower barometric pressure (p = 0.048). These results suggest that air quality and weather can have small effects on ME/CFS symptom severity.

Source: Jones CL, Haskin O, Younger JW. Association Between Chronic Pain and Fatigue Severity with Weather and Air Pollution Among Females with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Nov 26;21(12):1560. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121560. PMID: 39767402. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/12/1560 (Full text)

Ambient air pollution exposure linked to long COVID among young adults: a nested survey in a population-based cohort in Sweden

Summary:

Background: Post COVID-19 conditions, also known as long COVID, are of public health concern, but little is known about their underlying risk factors. We aimed to investigate associations of air pollution exposure with long COVID among Swedish young adults.

Methods: We used data from the BAMSE (Children, Allergy, Environment, Stockholm, Epidemiology [in Swedish]) cohort. From October 2021 to February 2022 participants answered a web-questionnaire focusing on persistent symptoms following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long COVID was defined as symptoms after confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 lasting for two months or longer. Ambient air pollution levels (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm [PM2.5], ≤10 μm [PM10], black carbon [BC] and nitrogen oxides [NOx]) at individual-level addresses were estimated using dispersion modelling.

Findings: A total of 753 participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection were included of whom 116 (15.4%) reported having long COVID. The most common symptoms were altered smell/taste (n = 80, 10.6%), dyspnea (n = 36, 4.8%) and fatigue (n = 34, 4.5%). Median annual PM2.5 exposure in 2019 (pre-pandemic) was 6.39 (interquartile range [IQR] 6.06–6.71) μg/m3. Adjusted Odds Ratios (95% confidence intervals) of PM2.5 per IQR increase were 1.28 (1.02–1.60) for long COVID, 1.65 (1.09–2.50) for dyspnea symptoms and 1.29 (0.97–1.70) for altered smell/taste. Positive associations were found for the other air pollutants and remained consistent across sensitivity analyses. Associations tended to be stronger among participants with asthma, and those having had COVID during 2020 (versus 2021).

Interpretation: Ambient long-term PM2.5 exposure may affect the risk of long COVID in young adults, supporting efforts for continuously improving air quality.

Source: Zhebin Yu, Sandra Ekström, Tom Bellander, Petter Ljungman, Göran Pershagen, Kristina Eneroth et al. Ambient air pollution exposure linked to long COVID among young adults: a nested survey in a population-based cohort in Sweden. The Lancet. Published: March 07, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100608 (Full text)