Experiencing Long COVID
can be debilitating.
Over 270 million people have contracted COVID-19 globally, with the numbers continuing to grow. Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience new, returning, or ongoing health problems. These symptoms can show up more than four weeks after first testing positive for COVID-19.
It is estimated that between 10-33% of COVID-19 patients experience post-COVID syndrome, or Long COVID. Research on Long COVID is emerging, and symptoms commonly observed are "profound fatigue", cough, breathlessness, muscle and body aches, chest heaviness or pressure, skin rashes, palpitations, fever, headache, diarrhoea, as well as pins and needles.
Even people who were asymptomatic, or not hospitalized and experienced a mild illness can experience persistent or late symptoms. Clinical management requires a whole-patient perspective. While there may be long-term consequences for pre-existing conditions, such as thromboembolic complications, fatigue and respiratory problems often dominate the picture.
The reasons for Long COVID are still being researched, and it is hypothesized that the causes could include: the virus entering the blood stream due to weak or absent antibody response, relapse or reinfection, inflammatory and other immune reactions, deconditioning, and mental factors such as post-traumatic stress.
Tiredness and fatigue can be attributed to the reduction in blood oxygen levels and blood glucose levels. Management of COVID-19 after the first three weeks is currently based on limited evidence.
Supporting recovery from COVID-19 requires pragmatic and symptomatic treatment with a focus on holistic support. There is a need for safe, efficacious, and cost-effective therapies.
Currently, there is no evidence for pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions. However, symptomatic treatment and breathing exercises, meditation, and monitoring pulse oximetry are suggested for respiratory symptoms.
The lack of consensus on treatment has resulted in contradictory therapeutic recommendations (antiviral drugs, steroids, anti-IL). Moreover, a lot of this information is gained under emergency conditions where patients require rescue, respiratory, renal, and cardiovascular support. With such a lot of confounding factors surrounding the disease, treatment has varied across the board.
