Affective dimensions of fatigue in post COVID-19 condition: An interdisciplinary investigation across phenomenology and biomedicine

Abstract Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC), yet it remains pathophysiologically and phenomenologically enigmatic. This article investigates the affective dimensions of PCC fatigue from within qualitative phenomenology and biomedicine, engaging in a non-reductionist dialogue across these strands. The article is comprised of a qualitative phenomenological analysis of lived experiences of fatigue in PCC; rehabilitation medicine (physician, physiotherapy, neuropsychology) assessments; brain MRI analysis; an analysis of inflammatory mediators in blood, and a cross-reading of results from these assessments and analyses, in relation to each other. The qualitative phenomenological analysis is foregrounded, and identifies four affective modes: an affective mode in which patients wanted but had no capability or energy to engage with others and the world; a mode characterised by a lessened or lack of affective pull; a mode characterised by an assault-like feeling, and a mode characterized by a felt sense of “being in a bubble” or “being under water”. The article sheds light on affective dimensions of PCC that are unlikely to be identified in everyday clinical practice, and the discussion across results from phenomenology and biomedical assessments and analyses brings out additional nuances in the understanding of the affective dimensions of fatigue.