A recent study published in BMJ Public Health found that individuals with generalized joint hypermobility might face a greater risk of not fully recovering from COVID-19.
The research study involved over 3,000 participants from the COVID Symptom Study Biobank. It found that those with hypermobility were 30% more likely to experience prolonged symptoms, including feeling very tired for a long time after COVID-19 infection, a key feature of long COVID.
While the research doesn’t definitely prove that people with hypermobility are more prone to having long COVID, it opens up an important discussion on potential risks, encourages further exploration into tailored treatments, and indicates that people with hypermobility might need specific considerations in their recovery process. Similar findings were featured in an article about a different study of long COVID and joint hypermobility that we shared last year and is available to read on the HMSA website.
The BMJ Public Health researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings—including that most of the study participants were women of White ethnicity and that their analysis does not include other potentially influential factors, such as duration of symptoms, coronavirus variant, or pre-existing conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) that can cause symptoms that overlap with long COVID.
Researchers believe long COVID isn’t just one problem but a mix of different health issues involving the immune system, inflammation, nerve responses, breathing, and heart functions, creating various COVID symptoms together.
Dr Jessica Eccles, from Brighton and Sussex Medical School, spoke with the Guardian about the study’s findings:
“We’ve known for some time that POTS is closely associated with hypermobility. The theory is that loose connective tissue in people’s veins and arteries can cause blood to pool in their tissues, meaning the heart has to work harder to pump blood to their brains when they stand up, triggering symptoms such as palpitations and dizziness. It may be that some of these abnormalities were always there, but COVID unmasked them in a vulnerable person.”
In December 2023, The Ehlers-Danlos Society launched a survey for its DICE Global Registry participants. The anonymous survey asks questions about experiences of COVID-19 vaccinations and infection with COVID-19.
We would like as many people as possible with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes or hypermobility spectrum disorders to take part.
Members of the DICE Registry have previously been sent instructions on taking part. If you are not a member but are interested in participating? Click here to learn more about joining today.
