Table 3. Physical, mental, emotional, social, and occupational functioning among persons with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)-like illness after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), persons with ME/CFS-like illness without prior COVID-19, and persons without ME/CFS-like illness Kaiser Permanente Northern California, 2022.
| 1. Total | 2. MECFS-like illness after COVID-19 | 3. ME/CFS-like illness without COVID-19 | 4. No ME/CFS-like illnessa | 5. ME/CFS-like illness after COVID-19 compared to ME/CFS-like illness without COVID-19 | 6. ME/CFS-like illness after COVID-19 compared to No ME/CFS-like illnessa | 7. ME/CFS-like illness without COVID-19 compared to No ME/CFS-like illnessa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | % (CI)b | % (CI)b | % (CI)b | % (CI)b | Estimate (CI)c | p-value | Estimate (CI)c | p-value | Estimate (CI)c | p-value |
| Total (n) | 9,825 | 77 | 569 | 9,179 | ||||||
| SF-36 scales (T-score) d , i | ||||||||||
| Physical functioning | 49 (49, 50) | 45 (37, 54) | 38 (33, 43) | 50 (49, 50) | 1.42 (-2.33, 5.17) | 0.49 | -6.39 (-8.46, -4.32) | <0.001 | -9.89 (-11.09, -8.7) | <0.001 |
| Role-physical | 50 (49, 50) | 42 (33, 52) | 31 (28, 35) | 50 (50, 50) | 6.31 (2.44, 10.19) | 0.002 | -8.42 (-10.67, -6.16) | <0.001 | -15.81 (-16.62, -15) | <0.001 |
| Bodily pain | 51 (50, 51) | 45 (37, 53) | 34 (31, 37) | 51 (50, 51) | 7.8 (5.2, 10.39) | <0.001 | -6.4 (-8.4, -4.41) | <0.001 | -14.34 (-14.91, -13.77) | <0.001 |
| Vitality (energy) | 48 (47, 48) | 29 (24, 34) | 31 (28, 33) | 48 (48, 49) | -2.11 (-4.02, -0.19) | 0.04 | -17.26 (-18.51, -16) | <0.001 | -16.06 (-16.59, -15.53) | <0.001 |
| General health | 47 (46, 47) | 39 (32, 46) | 33 (30, 36) | 47 (47, 47) | 2.48 (-0.58, 5.54) | 0.13 | -8.52 (-10.31, -6.73) | <0.001 | -11.84 (-12.64, -11.05) | <0.001 |
| Social functioning | 46 (45, 46) | 30 (22, 38) | 28 (24, 31) | 46 (46, 47) | -0.86 (-3.68, 1.95) | 0.56 | -14.25 (-16.36, -12.14) | <0.001 | -15.99 (-16.76, -15.22) | <0.001 |
| Role-emotional | 46 (45, 46) | 32 (24, 41) | 29 (26, 33) | 46 (45, 46) | -0.94 (-5.12, 3.24) | 0.66 | -11.34 (-13.31, -9.37) | <0.001 | -14.14 (-14.92, -13.36) | <0.001 |
| Mental health | 47 (46, 47) | 34 (26, 42) | 30 (26, 34) | 47 (46, 47) | 3.54 (-0.21, 7.28) | 0.08 | -9.17 (-11.18, -7.15) | <0.001 | -13.25 (-14.12, -12.38) | <0.001 |
| Change in health from one year ago | ||||||||||
| Better | 32 (30, 34) | 2.9 (1.0, 8.1) | 23 (12, 40) | 32 (30, 34) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Same | 48 (46, 50) | 63 (27, 89) | 18 (9.2, 31) | 48 (46, 50) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Worse | 20 (19, 22) | 34 (10, 71) | 59 (44, 73) | 20 (18, 21) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| PROMIS cognitive function (t-score, mean) e , i | 51 (51, 51) | 38 (36, 40) | 35 (33, 37) | 51 (51, 52) | 1.97 (0.05, 3.9) | 0.05 | -12.34 (-13, -11.67) | <0.001 | -15.24 (-15.73, -14.74) | <0.001 |
| Orthostatic grading scale (0–19, mean) f , j | 5.2 (4.8, 5.6) | 6.0 (4.5, 7.5) | 9.2 (7.1, 11) | 4.8 (4.5, 5.2) | -2.42 (-4.36, -0.47) | 0.02 | 1.29 (0.68, 1.9) | <0.001 | 4.03 (2.8, 5.25) | <0.001 |
| PHQ-8 depression score (0–24, mean) g , j | 5.9 (5.7, 6.2) | 14.0 (11, 17) | 15.8 (14, 18) | 5.8 (5.6, 6.0) | -0.93 (-2.53, 0.68) | 0.28 | 6.76 (5.98, 7.53) | <0.001 | 7.66 (7.15, 8.17) | <0.001 |
| PHQ-8 categories | ||||||||||
| Depression (≥ 10) | 23 (21, 24) | 75 (34, 95) | 85 (69, 94) | 22 (20, 23) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No depression | 77 (76, 79) | 25 (5.2, 66) | 15 (6.4, 31) | 78 (77, 80) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| GAD-2 anxiety score (0–6, mean) h , j | 1.51 (1.4, 1.6) | 4.68 (3.8, 5.6) | 3.83 (3.3, 4.4) | 1.47 (1.4, 1.5) | 0.49 (0.12, 0.87) | 0.01 | 2.71 (2.5, 2.92) | <0.001 | 1.72 (1.61, 1.83) | <0.001 |
| GAD-2 categories | ||||||||||
| None to mild | 79 (77, 80) | 12 (4.0, 30) | 29 (17, 45) | 79 (78, 81) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Moderate to severe (≥ 3) | 21 (20, 23) | 88 (70, 96) | 71 (55, 83) | 21 (19, 22) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Work status | ||||||||||
| Unable to work due to health disability | 2.6 (2.1, 3.3) | 2.6 (1.0, 6.5) | 26 (15, 40) | 2.3 (1.8, 2.9) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Employed | 65 (64, 67) | 75 (31, 95) | 54 (39, 69) | 66 (64, 67) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Not in work force (retired, student, homemaker) | 29 (27, 31) | 22 (3.5, 70) | 9.7 (4.2, 21) | 29 (27, 31) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Unemployed | 2.8 (2.2, 3.6) | 0 (0, 0) | 10 (2.8, 30) | 2.7 (2.1, 3.5) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other | 0.3 (0.16, 0.66) | 0 (0, 0) | 0.1 (0.02, 0.96) | 0.3 (0.16, 0.67) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
CI = 95% confidence interval
aIncludes all people without ME/CFS-like illness regardless of whether they have had COVID-19
bAcross groups 1–4, the estimates presented depend on the variable type. Continuous variables present the weighted mean (CI). Categorical variables present the weighted percent (CI)
cAcross groups 5–7, the estimated mean difference between groups is presented, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, BMI and corrected for multiple testing using the false discovery rate (FDR)
d36-Item Short Form Survey v2
ePROMIS cognition instrument Adult v2.0—Cognitive Function 4a
f5-item Orthostatic Grading Scale
gEight-item Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale
hTwo-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale
iFor these variables in columns 5, 6, and 7, a positive coefficient indicates a better functional status than the comparison group
jFor these variables in columns 5, 6, and 7, a positive coefficient indicates a worse functional status than the comparison group