This study, led by Dr Jessica Eccles (Reader in Brain-Body Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School), investigated whether generalised joint hypermobility (GJH) – a common connective tissue trait – was linked to long-term non-recovery from COVID-19. Participants from the COVID Symptom Study Biobank were surveyed in August 2022. Of the 3,764 respondents, 3,064 (81.4%) had experienced at least one COVID-19 infection. They completed a self-reported questionnaire to assess GJH (the 5-part Hakim and Grahame questionnaire) and provided information on their recovery status and fatigue levels.
The study found no significant association between GJH and the likelihood of getting COVID-19. However, individuals with GJH were significantly more likely to report not having fully recovered. Even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, ethnicity, education, deprivation, and vaccination status, those with GJH had about a 30% higher chance of reporting non-recovery. GJH was also associated with higher levels of fatigue, and fatigue was found to partly explain the relationship between GJH and non-recovery.
These findings suggest that GJH may be a risk factor for prolonged post-COVID symptoms, including fatigue. This has important clinical implications for understanding and identifying subtypes of long COVID, and for developing more personalised approaches to care. Greater awareness of GJH and its wider health effects could improve patient management and support.
Eccles, J. A., Cadar, D., Quadt, L., Hakim, A. J., Gall, N., Symptom, C., Consortium, S. B., Bowyer, V., Cheetham, N., Steves, C. J., Critchley, H. D., & Davies, K. A. (2024). Is joint hypermobility linked to self-reported non-recovery from COVID-19? Case-control evidence from the British COVID Symptom Study Biobank. BMJ Public Health, 2(1), e000478.
Links to publications
Online journal article in BMJ Public Health
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