Jürgen M. Steinacker

Abstract Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) may vary across pandemic phases. We compared the prevalence of post-acute COVID-19 symptom clusters following SARS-CoV-2 infection in the early pandemic and during the Omicron era using a population-based approach. The EPILOC study enrolled individuals aged 18–65 years who tested PCR-positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the early pandemic, between October 2020 and April 2021, in defined geographic regions within Baden-Württemberg.

This version is not peer-reviewed. Submitted: 25 September 2025 Posted: 26 September 2025 You are already at the latest version Severely ill ME/CFS patients are bedridden and suffer from hypersensitivities against light and noise, severe orthostatic intolerance reducing cerebral blood flow, and skeletal muscle symptoms including loss of force, fatigue, pain, fasciculations and cramps. Since neurological investigations exclude neuronal causes for myasthenia, we assume a muscular pathomechanism.

Benefits of physical activity Low levels of physical activity (PA) in the population and sedentary lifestyle1 2 (see definitions in Box 1) have been associated with the global rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression and certain cancers (eg, bladder, breast, colon) and musculoskeletal disorders.3 4 Moreover, physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for premature mortality.2 The WHO...