What is post-exertional malaise?

Post-exertional malaise, also known as PEM or a crash, is a severe worsening of existing symptoms or the appearance of new ones following minimal physical or mental exertion. It is the hallmark symptom of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and affects about half of individuals with long COVID. Triggers can include ordinary daily activities like taking a shower, and management primarily involves pacing and rest.

What we know

• Post-exertional malaise is a worsening of existing symptoms or the appearance of new symptoms occurring after even minimal exertion. [2]
• It serves as the hallmark symptom of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and affects about half of people with long COVID. [2]
• Common symptoms of post-acute infection syndromes like long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome include post-exertional malaise, severe fatigue, and pain. [3]
• Management of post-exertional malaise involves pacing activities to stay within individual energy limits and further reducing activity during a crash. [2]

Still open

• The exact pathology underlying post-acute infection syndromes and their specific symptoms remains not fully understood.

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is chronic fatigue syndrome?
• compared withHow does long COVID cause fatigue?
• the bigger pictureWhat are post-acute infection syndromes?
• how we knowHow is a cardiopulmonary exercise test used in research?
• a case in pointWhat does general malaise mean in medicine?
• an unexpected connectionHow do post-acute infection syndromes link unrelated illnesses?Conditions as distinct as long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and post-Ebola virus syndrome are all grouped together under post-acute infection syndromes because they share symptoms like post-exertional malaise following an initial infection.

Sources

• [1]post-exertional malaise (Wikidata Q42417507) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Post-exertional malaise · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Post-acute infection syndrome · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Malaise · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Long COVID · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. Who is Peter Shor and what did he invent?
2. /What is post-exertional malaise?