Rob Wüst (@RobWust) / X

Rob Wüst

2,822 posts

Rob Wüst

@RobWust

Associate Professor Muscle Metabolism at Vrije University Amsterdam, Netherlands. Interested in skeletal muscle function in health and disease

Weesp, Nederland

Joined March 2013

Pinned
Rob Wüst
@RobWust
May 6, 2025
🧵 THREAD: Skeletal Muscle Alterations in Long COVID and ME/CFS 1/ 💡 Study Overview We studied whether skeletal muscle changes in Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) patients are due to inactivity or distinct pathological processes.
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
After a long wait, our longitudinal long COVID study is finally published in @NatureComms: nature.com/articles/s4146…. We find a skeletal muscle alterations in patients with #longcovid, which worsen with exercise. 1/n
Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID
From nature.com
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Dec 18, 2024
📢 Long COVID symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, myalgia, and post-exertional malaise (#PEM). This thread dives into our newest literature review exploring skeletal muscle dysfunction as a key factor in reduced exercise capacity for #LongCovid . 🧵
cell.com
Skeletal muscle adaptations and post-exertional malaise in long COVID
When acute SARS-CoV-2 infections cause symptoms that persist longer than 3 months, this condition is termed long COVID. Symptoms experienced by patients often include myalgia, fatigue, brain fog,...
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust and @BraedenCharlton
Skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and metabolism were altered in patients with #longcovid, and this worsened after induction of post-exertional malaise (PEM). Intense exercise is not good for patients with long COVID! 4/n
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust and @BraedenCharlton
We obviously have NOT sit still in the time that this publication has been reviewed. We hope that in the near future we can contribute more knowledge on how exercise links to the disease, and what can be done to reduce PEM. Stay tuned! 9/9
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Nov 22, 2022
We can finally announce that we have been awarded almost €500.000 for our work on understanding post-exertional malaise in Long COVID. We are thrilled that @patientled is going to support us!!
Patient-Led Research Collaborative
@patientled
Nov 22, 2022
Big news! We are *thrilled* to announce the $4.8 million in research awards for #LongCovid & associated conditions from our Patient-Led Biomedical Fund today! These were decided by a panel of 15 patient-experts & we're funding 9 exceptional projects! patientledresearch.com/press-releases/ 1/
Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust and @BraedenCharlton
To reduce the skeletal muscle abnormalities (reduction in mitochondrial function, muscle damage and more microclots), we can only recommend to avoid strenuous exercise for now. Every patient likely has a different threshold for induction of post-exertional malaise. 8/n
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust and @BraedenCharlton
Blocking of capillaries by amyloid-containing deposits (or microclots) could reduced exercise capacity. We found these deposits in muscle tissue, but surprisingly not inside capillaries. They were located in between fibers, were higher in patients, and went up after exercise 5/n
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jun 17, 2024
Our BSc students are presenting their results about #PEM in #longcovid and #mecfs. Lots of work, and giving us another 🧩 pieces to understanding PEM. We now check their data, and will add more results before writing this up for a follow-up publication. Great work guys! @VU_FGB
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust
With @BraedenCharlton, and clinical colleagues (Brent Appelman and Michele van Vugt), we confirmed the lower exercise capacity in patients with #longcovid, which can partly be explained by changes in skeletal muscle structure and function 2/n
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Feb 15, 2024
I have always dreamt about publishing a wildlife photo in @NatGeo, but a full article about our work on #longcovid, I am extremely honored! Thanks @rachel_fairbank!
Long COVID can destroy your ability to exercise. Now we know why.
From nationalgeographic.com
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust and @BraedenCharlton
This study contributed to our understanding of muscle pain, fatigue and weakness in patients, and provides a biological substrate for the disease. It doesn’t directly point to the cause of the disease, but highlights that exercise can worsen symptoms in patients 7/n
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Jan 4, 2024
Replying to @RobWust and @BraedenCharlton
We next wanted to find out if skeletal muscle abnormalities contribute to the feeling of muscle pain, and fatigue one day after an exercise test on a bike. We found that in some #longcovid patients there was extensive muscle damage, but also signs of repair 3/n
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Rob Wüst
@RobWust
Mar 17, 2025
I am super proud that our publication on muscle abnormalities in Long COVID is now the most read article in Nature Comms of 2024! Super proud of the team at Department of Human Movement Sciences at VU and @amsterdamumc
Health Science Top 25 of 2024
From nature.com
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