Choi Yu-Jin, Lee Jin-Seok, Joung Jin-Yong, Hwang Seung-Ju, Kim Young-Yil, Son Chang-Gue
Research Center for CFS/ME, Daejeon University Hospital, Daedukdae-ro 176 bun-gil 75, Seo-gu, Daejeon, 35235, Republic of Korea.
Institute of Bioscience & Integrative Medicine, Daejeon University, Daedukdae-ro 176 bun-gil 75, Seo-gu, Daejeon, 35235, Republic of Korea.
BMC Infect Dis. 2025 Apr 26;25(1):611. doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-10984-6.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the emergence of a secondary public health crisis known as Long COVID. It is estimated that approximately 10% of individuals who contact COVID-19 develop Long COVID, with fatigue and brain fog being among the most commonly reported and debilitating symptoms. However, no standardized or effective treatments are currently available. This observational study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of MYP, an herbal formulation composed of Astragali Radix, Salviae Radix, and Aquilariae Lignum, in alleviating fatigue and brain fog in patients with Long COVID.
Subjects with a score of 60 or higher on the Modified Korean version of the Chalder Fatigue scale (mKCFQ11) or a brain fog rating of 5 or higher on the visual analogue scale (VAS) took two capsules of MYP (500 mg per capsule) twice daily for 4 weeks. Changes in symptoms were assessed using the mKCFQ11, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), Fatigue VAS, Brain fog VAS, and overall quality of life using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Additionally, levels of three cytokines (TNF-α, TGF-β, IFN- γ) and cortisol were measured.
Fifty participants successfully completed the 4-week administration with MYP. At baseline, fatigue severity was 75.3 ± 10.9 in mKCFQ11, 70.9 ± 11.2 in MFI-20, 7.5 ± 1.2 in Fatigue VAS, 8.4 ± 1.1 in Brain fog VAS, and 45.3 ± 17.8 in SF-12. All parameters significantly improved (p < 0.01), with a decrease of 46% in mKCFQ11, 26% in MFI-20, 49% in Fatigue VAS, and 52% in Brain fog VAS, and an increase of 59% in SF-12, respectively. Unlikely others, the plasma level of TGF-β showed a declining pattern after MYP administration (from 765.0 ± 1759.7 to 243.9 ± 708.1 pg/mL, p = 0.07). No safety concerns were observed.
This pilot observational study suggests the clinical potential of MYP for managing patients with Long COVID, focusing on fatigue-related symptoms and quality of life. Further studies are required to confirm its efficacy and safety using large-scale randomized placebo-controlled trials in the future.
This study has been retrospectively registered with the identifier number KCT0008948 on https://cris.nih.go.kr , as of 27/10/23.
新冠疫情引发了一种被称为“长新冠”的继发性公共卫生危机。据估计，约10%感染新冠病毒的人会患上长新冠，疲劳和脑雾是最常报告且使人衰弱的症状。然而，目前尚无标准化或有效的治疗方法。这项观察性研究旨在评估由黄芪、丹参和沉香组成的草药配方MYP缓解长新冠患者疲劳和脑雾的疗效。
改良版韩国查尔德疲劳量表（mKCFQ11）得分60分及以上或视觉模拟量表（VAS）脑雾评分5分及以上的受试者，每天服用两次MYP胶囊（每粒500毫克），持续4周。使用mKCFQ11、多维疲劳量表（MFI-20）、疲劳VAS、脑雾VAS评估症状变化，并使用简短健康调查问卷（SF-12）评估总体生活质量。此外，还测量了三种细胞因子（TNF-α、TGF-β、IFN-γ）和皮质醇的水平。
50名参与者成功完成了为期4周的MYP给药。基线时，mKCFQ11中的疲劳严重程度为75.3±10.9，MFI-20中为70.9±11.2，疲劳VAS中为7.5±1.2，脑雾VAS中为8.4± 1.1，SF-12中为45.3±17.8。所有参数均显著改善（p<0.01），mKCFQ11下降46%，MFI-20下降26%，疲劳VAS下降49%，脑雾VAS下降52%，SF-12增加59%。与其他情况不同的是，服用MYP后血浆TGF-β水平呈下降趋势（从765.0±1759.7降至243.9±708.1 pg/mL，p=0.07）。未观察到安全问题。
这项初步观察性研究表明MYP在治疗长新冠患者方面具有临床潜力，尤其关注与疲劳相关的症状和生活质量。未来需要通过大规模随机安慰剂对照试验进一步研究以确认其疗效和安全性。
截至2023年10月27日，本研究已在https://cris.nih.go.kr上进行回顾性注册，标识符为KCT0008948。
