Research shows that people with excessively flexible joints are at increased risk of long-term Covid-19 and persistent fatigue.
In hypermobility, some or all of a person’s joints have an unusually large range of motion due to differences in the structure of their connective tissues that support, protect, and structure organs, joints, and other tissues.
Up to 20% of adults are hypermobile and many of them are perfectly healthy. Hypermobility can even be beneficial, as many musicians and athletes have very flexible joints. However, it can also cause problems such as an increased tendency to pain, fatigue, joint injuries and stomach or digestive problems.
Dr. Jessica Eccles, from the University of Sussex, and her colleagues had been investigating a possible link between hypermobility, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia (a condition that causes pain all over the body), when the Covid pandemic hit.
“We started thinking: if hypermobility is potentially a factor in ME/CFS, is it also a factor in long Covid?” said Eccles.
Working with researchers from King’s College London, she examined data from 3,064 participants in the Covid Symptoms Study (now the Zoe Health Study) to see whether they had hypermobile joints, had fully recovered from their last bout of Covid, and whether they suffered from persistent fatigue.
The research, published in BMJ Public HealthResearch found that people with hypermobile joints were around 30% more likely to say they had not fully recovered from Covid-19 than people with normal joints, and were significantly more likely to experience high levels of fatigue.
Although the study does not prove that hypermobility caused their disease, there is a plausible mechanism by which it could cause symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and cerebral hemorrhage. postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) – where people’s heart rates increase rapidly when they stand up.
Eccles added: “We have known for some time that PoTs are closely linked to hypermobility.” The theory is that loose connective tissue in people’s veins and arteries can cause blood to pool in the tissues, meaning the heart has to work harder to pump blood to the brain when they stand up, which can cause symptoms like palpitations and dizziness. cause.
“It may be that some of these abnormalities were always there, but Covid unmasked them in a vulnerable person,” says Eccles.
One theory she is investigating is whether reduced blood flow to the brain could contribute to brain fog and fatigue in a subset of individuals. However, there are other possibilities.
Eccles said: “We also know that hypermobility is linked to conditions such as ADHD and autism, and ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, so fatigue could be a consequence of that.”
She stressed that Covid is unlikely to remain consistent in the long term, but said better understanding the link with hypermobility could aid the development of new treatments.
“What this work suggests is that there may be a subgroup of people with long Covid-19 who are likely to be hypermobile,” she said.
“This is important to identify. It may be that some of the same things that help people with hypermobility and pain, such as strengthening and supporting core muscles, could help across the board.”