Unraveling the Mysteries of Post-Exertional Malaise: Special Series from The Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illnesses at Mount Sinai

Exercise is good for you, except in very specific cases when it isn’t. One of the few examples, post-exertional malaise (PEM), is the subject of today’s Raise the Line episode in our series on post-acute infection syndromes produced in collaboration with the Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illnesses at Mt. Sinai. “The key to understanding PEM is that it's not just fatigue. It's really the worsening of symptoms or the onset of new symptoms after exercise,” says Dr. Rob Wust of Vrije University Amsterdam.  His research group is one of several around the world now focused on this previously obscure phenomenon due to the prevalence of long COVID in which PEM is a nearly universal symptom. And while it’s good news that this debilitating affliction is receiving new attention, no clear picture of causes and treatments has yet emerged. In terms of suspects, the body’s energy suppliers, mitochondria, are a popular target, but while Wust’s team and others attempt to unravel the mysteries of mitochondrial dysfunction, millions of patients suffering with PEM need strategies to avoid exhaustion. In that regard, Dr. David Putrino of the Cohen Center says patients and clinicians alike need to take all use of bodily energy into account, not just obvious activities such as walking. “The brain uses a lot of energy, so cognitive exertion will cause crashes. Emotional exertion will cause crashes and so will digestion and even sweating.” Join host Raven Baxter of the Cohen Center as she explores what can be done for patients as the race to find better diagnostics and treatments for PEM continues in some of the world’s top scientific centers. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Mount Sinai Health System 

Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation 

Long COVID Physio