A MEDICAL group has warned that coronavirus patients could develop chronic fatigue syndrome if their recovery is not properly managed.

Those caring for virus patients could also develop the condition, the British Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and ME (BACME) said.

Experts estimate that ten per cent of those who have contracted the illness may not fully recover and could develop long-term ME.

This is a condition which can affect anyone, though it is more common in women and tends to develop in people aged between 25 and 45 and causes sufferers to feel “extremely tired and generally unwell”, an NHS overview of the syndrome states.

It affects about 250,000 people in the UK.

So BACME has produced a guide for the management of “post-viral fatigue”.

People suffering from coronavirus are urged to rest both their body and mind, limiting their use of TVs, phones and the internet. Activity levels should be kept low and patients should try to maintain a balanced diet throughout their treatment, the guide says.

When recovering from the illness, activity should only be reintroduced slowly and carefully.

The information has been shared by The Sussex ME Society, which has Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas as a patron.

The Green party politician is calling for the NHS’s specialist ME services to be expanded amid concerns there will be an overwhelming number of referrals following the lockdown.

She recently wrote to Health Secretary Matt Hancock about the issue.

But, in a response from minister for social care Helen Whately MP, she was told these services were the responsibility of each area’s NHS clinical commissioning group.

Ms Lucas said: “I hope the local clinical commissioning groups, when planning for the long term, continue to provide and expand services for patients with ME or CFS, which offer a lifeline to sufferers and their families.”

Colin Barton, chairman of The Sussex ME Society, reinforced her calls for more to be done for those with chronic fatigue syndrome.

He said: “We are calling on the Brighton and Hove and Sussex CCGs to look seriously at providing further funding to enable the existing ME and CFS services to expand to meet the growing need for these valuable clinics that presently deal with about 50 referrals per month.”

The full BACME guide on post-viral fatigue can be found on the group’s website.

A spokesman for NHS Brighton and Hove said: "We are committed to working with partners to support people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and ME, using evidence-based treatment programmes following The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

"We provide outpatient treatment at several locations across Sussex, and help sufferers with learning self-management strategies.

"The service is aimed at assisting with diagnosis, assessment, therapy and treatment where possible for adult patients diagnosed with mild to moderate CFS/ME."