New study highlights impact of long COVID

Arizona (US), August 4 (ANI): Researchers from the Universities of Arizona, Oxford and Leeds have examined dozens of previous studies on long COVID to investigate the number and variety of people affected, the underlying mechanisms of the disease, the various symptoms patients develop, and current and future treatments.

Long COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 status, is described as symptoms that last three months or more after acute COVID-19. The disease can impair multiple organ systems, resulting in reduced function and symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive impairment (often known as “brain fog”), breathing difficulties, and discomfort.

Long COVID can affect almost anyone, including all ages and children. It is more prevalent in women and people of lower socioeconomic status, and the reasons for these differences are being studied. Researchers have found that while some people gradually improve from long COVID, in others the condition can persist for years. Many people who developed long COVID before the advent of vaccines are still sick.

“Long COVID is a devastating disease with a profound human and socioeconomic impact,” said Janko Nikolich, MD, PhD, senior author of the paper, director of the Aegis Consortium at U of A Health Sciences, professor and chair of the Department of Immunobiology at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, and member of the BIO5 Institute.

“By studying it in detail, we hope to understand the mechanisms and find targets for therapy against this, but potentially also other complex chronic conditions associated with the infection, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.” If a person has been fully vaccinated and is up to date with their boosters, their risk of long COVID is much lower. However, 3%-5% of people worldwide still develop long COVID after an acute COVID-19 infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long COVID affects an estimated 4%-10% of the U.S. adult population, and 1 in 10 adults who have had COVID develops long COVID.

The review study also found that a wide range of biological mechanisms are involved, including persistence of the original virus in the body, disruption of the normal immune response and microscopic blood clotting, even in some people who had only mild initial infections.

There are still no proven treatments for long COVID, and current management of the condition focuses on ways to alleviate symptoms or provide rehabilitation. Researchers say there is a dire need to develop and test biomarkers, such as blood tests, to diagnose and monitor long COVID and find therapies that address the root causes of the disease.

People can reduce their risk of developing long COVID by avoiding infection — wearing a well-fitting mask in crowded indoor spaces, for example — taking antivirals immediately if they contract COVID-19, avoiding strenuous exercise during these infections, and ensuring they are up to date with COVID vaccinations and boosters.

“Long COVID is a grim condition, but there are grounds for cautious optimism,” said Trisha Greenhalgh, lead author of the study and professor at the Nuffield Department of Primary Health Sciences, Oxford. “A number of mechanism-based treatments are being tested in research trials. If proven effective, they would allow us to target specific subgroups of people with precision therapies. Treatments aside, it is becoming increasingly clear that long COVID places a huge social and economic burden on individuals, families and society. In particular, we need to find better ways to treat and support ‘long-haulers’ – people who have been ill for two years or more and whose lives have often been turned upside down.” (ANI)