A new study from the Norwegian LoTECA-cohort looked at what factors were risk factors for the progression of fatigue from six to twelve months after infection in adolescents and young people. Its main findings were that fatigue in general gradulaly declined in the first year, but that several factors predicted progression. Among these were Non-European ethnicity, immune activity (interferon gamma) and sympathetic activity. Read the full article here (open access)
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COFFI Cohort Summary table
News
“Persistent symptoms after infection - what is going on in the brain?”
25th March, 2025
Tue 19.00 CET, 18.00 GMT, 14.00 EDT, 12.00 MDT; Wed 05.00 AEDT
Persistent symptoms are part of post-viral fatigue, ME/CFS, and the post-covid condition. This seminar considers the wide variety of symptoms and problems encountered by patients, looks at the overall explanation from physiological stress response, and then considers how approaches may help people with symptoms.
The seminar is aimed at health professionals, patients, practitioners, carers, and journalists
To attend, please register here
Background to COFFI
COFFI is a global research collaborative dedicated to research to help explain, treat, and manage fatigue and persistent somatic symptoms following infection. The COFFI Consumer Advisory Group advises on COFFI’s research portfolio and promotes constructive public narrative between patients, researchers, and practitioners. These groups must work together to help people manage and recover from these conditions. Our previous COFFI Consumer-Research Seminar was on post-exertional malaise.
Contributors
 | Rachel Whitfield Leadership Trainer and Coach Bristol, UK Co-chair COFFI Consumer Advisory Committee COFFI
Rachel Whitfield developed long covid during the pandemic and has now fully recovered. She has since told her story multiple times to the BBC and ITV as well as a variety of podcasts, YouTube channels and her blog, helping many people find a path to recovery. With a background in biochemistry, she is now a leadership trainer and coach. |
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 | Julie Black Scientific Advisor to the UK (and devolved) Governments. Scotland
Julie Black, in her spare time, looks after three horses and rides around Scotland'shills. She developed the post covid-19 condition, was bedbound, and given a diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome and postural orthostatic hypotension. Once understanding dysautonomia, she worked on how she was responding to various stressors, delineating her path to recovery. |
 | Vanessa Wilhelm Business Development Manager Scotland
Vanessa Wilhelm developed long covid during the pandemic and has now almost fully recovered. She has since told her story on the Living Proof blog and is active in various mind-body support groups. Vanessa has a background in policy research and currently works as a business development manager. |
 | Dr Anna Andreasson Assoc. professor in psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden Assoc. professor in clinical epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Guest Professor in Pain and Rehabilitation Medicine with focus on Psychoneuroimmunology, Linköping University, Sweden Anna Andreasson is a scientist examining how individuals perceive their own health from a psychoneuroimmunological perspective. Anna is especially interested in symptoms of sickness that arise when the immune system is activated, and how they may contribute to persistent symptoms such as fatigue, pain and symptoms seen in disorders of the gut-brain axis, such as irritable bowel syndrome. |
 | Maria Pedersen Paediatrician and postdoctoral fellow Oslo, Norway COFFI Researcher Maria Pedersen provides clinical care for people with long-term fatigue. Her doctorate concerned adolescents with fatigue after the Epstein-Barr virus; her current research is in treatments for adults with post-COVID-19 conditions. Maria is also part of the Norwegian National Competence Center for CFS/ME and the Paediatric Neurology Section at Oslo University Hospital. |
Timetable
Time (UK) | Title | Presenter |
18:00 | Welcome and introduction | Rachel |
18:05 | Experiences of disturbing biological experiences | Julie and Vanessa |
18:10 | What is going on: the physiological stress response | Anna |
18:20 | Resonance with lived experience | Julie and Vanessa |
18:25 | Approaches that may help resolve symptoms | Maria |
18:45 | Discussion and questions | |
18:50 | Questions from the audience | All |
18.58 | Closing | Rachel, Anna, Maria |
To keep up to date with live events, please email coffi-collaborative@outlook.com
Updated: Nov 27, 2024
“Post-exertional malaise and setbacks in chronic fatigue conditions: Cutting-edge neuroscience approach”
Live Seminar was held on Tuesday, November 12th, 2024 (20:30 CET, 19:30 GMT, 12:30 MST)/ Wednesday, November 13th (06:30 AEDT).
People with chronic fatigue conditions can experience recurrence of symptoms, often precipitated by physical, emotional or cognitive exertion. Termed post-exertional malaise (PEM), this can pose a big challenge to full recovery. We aim to explore explanations and management approaches for post-exertional malaise and setbacks in chronic fatigue conditions in a dialogue between research scientists, clinicians and consumers.
COFFI is a global research collaborative dedicated to research to help explain, treat and manage fatigue and persistent somatic symptoms following infection. The COFFI Consumer Advisory Group advise on COFFI’s research portfolio, and promote constructive public narrative around helping patients, researchers and practitioners work together for managing and recovering from these conditions.
Watch the Seminar replay here on Youtube
Contributors
 | Professor Silje Reme Health Psychologist Head of the Mind-Body Laboratory, University of Oslo Steering Group Chair, Oslo Fatigue Network
Professor Silje Reme is a clinical pain psychologist at Oslo University Hospital. Her research focuses on chronic pain treatment, chronic post-surgical pain prevention, chronic fatigue, stress, and work disability. |
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 | Dr Becca Kennedy Family Medicine Physician Portland, Oregon Member of the Oslo Fatigue Network
Dr. Becca Kennedy. She used an evidence-based neuroscience approach to chronic conditions while working at Kaiser Permanente, where she was the lead of the Long-COVID specialty group for the Northwest Kaiser region. Dr. Kennedy now runs her own clinic for chronic conditions using this neuroscience model of care. |
| Rachel Whitfield Leadership Trainer and Coach Bristol, UK Co-chair COFFI Consumer Advisory Committee COFFI
Rachel Whitfield developed long covid during the pandemic and has now fully recovered. She has since told her story multiple times to the BBC and ITV as well as a variety of podcasts, YouTube channels and her blog, helping many people find a path to recovery. With a background in biochemistry, she is now a leadership trainer and coach. https://mylongcovidjourney.wordpress.com/ |
 | Fiona Symington Oxford, UK Member of the COFFI Consumer Advisory Committee Fiona Symington lived with M.E/CFS for 14 years, and chronic pain for 25 years before recovering completely using mind-body medicine five years ago. .She is now passionate about the science that helped her recover and which is helping many others find relief from a variety of chronic symptoms. https://www.livingproof.org.uk/me-cfs |
Timetable
Time (UK) | Title | Presenter |
19:30 | Welcome and introduction | Rachel Whitfield |
19:35 | Experiences of post-exertional malaise | Fiona Symington, Rachel Whitfield |
19:40 | Scientific explanations | Prof Silje Reme |
19:50 | Resonance with lived experience | Fiona Symington, Rachel Whitfield |
19:55 | Approaches that may help post-exertional malaise | Dr. Becca Kennedy |
20:05 | Discussion and questions | |
20:15 | Questions from the audience | All |
20:30 | Closing | Rachel Whitfield, Prof Silje Reme |
To keep up to date with live events, please email coffi-collaborative@outlook.com
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