People with Long Covid and ME/CFS Exhibit Similarly Impaired Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination: A Case-Case-Control Study.

Sanal-Hayes, Nilihan E.M.; Hayes, Lawrence D.; Mclaughlin, Marie; Berry, Ethan C.J.; Sculthorpe, Nicholas F.

Abstract

Dexterity and bimanual coordination had not previously been compared between people with long COVID and people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Therefore, this study determined dexterity and bimanual coordination in people with long COVID (∼16 month illness duration; n=21) and ME/CFS (∼16 year illness duration; n=20), versus age-matched healthy controls (n=20). Dexterity, and bimanual coordination was determined using the Purdue pegboard test. The main findings of the present investigation were that people with ME/CFS and people with long COVID were generally comparable for Purdue pegboard tests (p>0.556 and d<0.36 for pairwise comparisons). It is worth noting however, that both these patient groups performed poorer in the Perdue pegboard test than healthy controls (p<0.169 and d>0.40 for pairwise comparisons). These data suggest that both people with long COVID and people with ME/CFS have similarly impaired dexterity, and bimanual coordination. Therefore, there is an urgent need for interventions to target dexterity and bimanual coordination in people with ME/CFS, and given the current pandemic, people with long COVID. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.]

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 8, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Feb 23, 2024
• Deposit Date: Feb 26, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 24, 2025
• Journal: The American journal of medicine
• Print ISSN: 0002-9343
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: S0002-9343(24)00091-3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.02.003
• Keywords: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Bimanual Coordination, Post-Exertional Malaise, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Dexterity, Purdue Pegboard Test, Neural