Long Covid in the media and social media 2023

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Scientists confirm long Covid impact on heart: These symptoms post Covid are alarming

Covid is now relatively less severe than it was three years back. However, the risk related to the disease is still there as long Covid continue to torment some patients for long even after the initial recovery. Now, a new research study has shown how patients with long Covid were more than twice as likely to experience cardiac complications.

This new analysis of nearly six million patients has confirmed what cardiologists have been seeing for years on long Covid patients i.e. much higher risk of cardiovascular complications. As per the study, researchers found that patients with long Covid experienced chest pain, shortness of breath than patients who never had Covid.

Long Covid is defined as symptoms persisting or new symptoms appearing more than four weeks after initial infection.

The study included data from 11 major studies. This new systematic review and meta-analysis will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s upcoming annual meeting, ACC.23 Together with the World Congress of Cardiology in New Orleans, as reported by Cardiovascular Business.

https://www.livemint.com/science/he...s-post-covid-are-alarming-11677309097754.html
 
Study Finds Brain Changes in Long COVID Patients With Anxiety, Depression

A preliminary study reports that people with long COVID who experience anxiety and depression months after a mild case of COVID-19 may have brain changes that affect the function and structure of the brain. The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 75th Annual Meeting in April.

"There is still much to learn about long COVID, which includes a wide range of health problems, including anxiety and depression, months after infection," said Clarissa Yasuda, MD, PhD, of the University of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil. "Our findings are concerning, as even people with a mild case of COVID-19 are showing changes in their brains months later. More studies are needed to hopefully identify treatments to prevent any long-term effects on people's quality of life."

The study involved 254 people with an average age of 41 who had a mild COVID-19 infection an average of three months earlier. Participants completed tests to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety. A total of 102 people had symptoms of both anxiety and depression and 152 people had no symptoms.

Participants also had brain scans. Researchers looked at damage to the brain's gray matter to determine if there was brain shrinkage. They also compared the brain scans of the people with COVID-19 with the scans of 148 people who did not have a COVID-19 infection.

The people with COVID-19 and anxiety and depression had shrinkage in the limbic area of the brain, which plays a role in memory and emotional processing, while the people who had COVID-19 without anxiety and depression and the people without COVID-19 had no brain shrinkage.

https://appliedradiology.com/Articl...n-long-covid-patients-with-anxiety-depression
 
BMJ Helen Salisbury: Unfit fit note proposals

quotes:

Last week, we heard that GPs are to be encouraged to sign fewer fit notes as this will boost Britain’s flagging economy by getting people back to work.1 This particular kite has, according to the Telegraph, been flown jointly by the Treasury and the Department of Work and Pensions—and it is difficult to know where to start in shooting it down.

The suggestion manages to insult both patients and doctors, while totally ignoring the significant problem of worsening health in our country.

....

Perhaps, instead, we should ask why so many people are not fit to work. In 2021, the main reason for sickness absence was covid-19 and there is still a lot of it about (currently affecting one in 55 people).3 Long covid impacts two million people in the UK, with 380 000 of them reporting that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities has been limited “a lot.”4 If we add to these the 215 000 people out of work while awaiting NHS treatment, we can begin to understand why there are so many unfilled vacancies in all sectors of the economy.5

Logical first steps to reducing sickness absence could include trying to reduce the spread of infections such as covid-19, through continued vaccination and clean air (I know we’re all bored of hearing about it, but that doesn’t mean the virus has gone away).
 
Long Covid disabled them. Then they met a ‘broken’ Social Security disability process

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/long-covid-workforce-issues-disability-claims/index.html

I didn't have the heart to read it or post any quotes from the article.

Seems like over the past 23 years (I got sick in 1990 but didn't apply for SSDI until 2000) things have slowly gotten worse, not better.

EDIT: It's probably obvious, but I probably should mention this article is about the USA social security disability process.
 
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ahimsa said:
Long Covid disabled them. Then they met a ‘broken’ Social Security disability process

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/long-covid-workforce-issues-disability-claims/index.html

I didn't have the heart to read it or post any quotes from the article.

Seems like over the past 23 years (I got sick in 1990 but didn't apply for SSDI until 2000) things have slowly gotten worse, not better.
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Pandemic issues and budget cuts at the Social Security Administration, which handles SSDI claims, have resulted in the lowest staffing levels in 25 years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That has kept long Covid cases backlogged.

Decision wait times for disability insurance can range from months to years, according to data from nonprofit think tank USA Facts. Rebecca Cokley, program director for disability Rights at the Ford Foundation, agrees the SSDI process is arduous and can last years before granting an applicant approval or denial.

“Around 10,000 people die a year waiting for disability,” Cokley said. “With long Covid, I only expect it to get worse.”

Carlton says she has spent the last three months trying to find out the status of her disability application. Everything rides on whether she gets approved, Carlton told CNN. SSDI’s monthly benefits are generally around $800 for individuals and $1,300 for families.
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Economic impact
The Department of Health and Human Services estimates $50 billion in annual salaries in the US is lost annually due to long Covid. A Brookings analysis puts that total at an even higher number: a staggering $170 billion lost by workers.

Yet the government hasn’t been vocal about the role Covid-19 plays in the economy. President Joe Biden has mentioned long Covid only twice since he was in office, once in his announcement in the Rose Garden in June 2021 when he said the condition “can sometimes” qualify as a disability, and in September 2022 during an event for Disability Pride Month.

And two Congressional bills addressing the long Covid crisis — The “Covid-19 Long Haulers Act,” which would’ve collected data on long Covid patients with the goal of creating better care and treatment, and “The Care For Long Covid Act” would’ve improved research, centralized data and resources for people with Long Covid — died without making it out of committee.

“Covid no longer controls our lives,” Biden said earlier this month in his State of the Union address, echoing previous comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who said the central bank no longer considers Covid an ongoing economic risk.

But for many long Covid patients, it remains an ordeal on many levels, including the mental anguish of simply trying to cut through a notoriously bureaucratic federal disability application process.
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They don't even mention SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which is what I have. I got sick in May 1983 (mono & strep at the same time). It took me 11 years to get a college degree starting in 1984 with night classes as that was all that I could do. As I was concentrating on getting through college when I had periods when I was able to do something, I only worked on and off part or full-time for a total of a few years. Then I spent 3 semesters trying to get through grad school but had to withdraw.

I was married for 5 years and family helped support me over the years. I didn't apply for benefits until 2001. I was told I hadn't worked enough to quality for SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) and so I was only allowed to apply for SSI. It took years to get through that appeal process to determine that I'm disabled before I started receiving benefits.

Then I lost all benefits because I hadn't applied for SSDI! No one; including the lawyer they appointed me, would give me any explanation as to how this could happen. I was just told that I had to apply for SSDI, which I did. I was denied. I appealed and the judge denied the appeal saying that it wasn't proven that I'm disabled.

Beyond my medical record; which indicated that I'm permanently disabled and never expected to recover, I guess the judge thought that I liked repeatedly giving colleges money and then withdrawing from full-time enrollment when I crashed, losing thousands of dollars in tuition, and having more of my life on hold. I guess she thought I liked having to leave jobs when I couldn't function any longer or being told I was out too much and not to come back - this was at Kaiser by the way, after I had just come out of the bathroom from vomiting as I was working with a migraine and had to go home while I could still drive.

I appealed my SSDI case further but never heard back and I was too ill (bedridden) to pursue it any more. I was then put back on SSI where it was determined that I'm disabled. SSI is terrible. They keep you in poverty with extremely limited assets. If you marry someone or share a household with someone with an income or assets, or you receive an inheritance, or you get help from other people, or even from food banks, they cut your benefits. Furthermore, the payments are so low, people on it are homeless. I am terrified of losing my benefits at someone's whim during the review processes. I am also terrified of becoming homeless when I can't live where I'm living now.

How is all this fuckery allowed to continue unending and getting worse, as though people in need are nothing?
 
(US) Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said:
As we strive for a healthcare system & economy that work for all, we must center the voices of COVID #LongHaulers. #LongCOVID remains a crisis and we must address it head-on.
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One of the few politicians who has and had the right messaging about LC from the start.

It was announced this week that a US senator is retiring because of LC. He mentioned that 5-6 other senators also have LC, only one who has publicly mentioned it (Tim Kaine). There are 100 senators so that's a significant %.

Got some word of big numbers of LC from Germany coming out today. This is really one problem where ignoring it only makes it worse. Which makes the current strategy of ignoring it entirely pretty foolish. But I guess it's the only way this was ever going to end. The finding out phase after decades of fracking around is something to behold.
 
Long COVID and the Brain
A study underscores the role of inflammation in key brain cells.

KEY POINTS
  • Research suggests that tens of millions of people experience "long COVID," with many dealing with debilitating brain-related symptoms.
  • Inflammation in the brain has emerged as a major potential cause of long COVID brain symptoms.
  • Studies over the last years indicate many potential drivers of brain issues in the context of the pandemic, some of which are non-infectious.
.........Some possible contributors to damage within the brain include viral spread into the brain, inflammation associated with infection, metabolic challenges, microbiome changes and damage to blood vessels. Yet it’s also important to highlight that many people may have experienced similar brain issues during the pandemic independent of infection, as a reflection of the stress, unhealthy eating and lifestyle changes that occurred in the context of large-scale lockdown measures. This speaks to the idea that certain brain symptoms thought to be due to COVID infection may in fact be better explained by other factors. To this end, some research finds that a sizable proportion of people attributing their symptoms to COVID may not have evidence of infection with the virus.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-modern-brain/202302/long-covid-and-the-brain
 
Former GOP Senator James Inhofe retired because of long COVID symptoms. Other colleagues have it but keep it secret, he said.

Former Republican Senator James Inhofe said the reason he retired from representing Oklahoma this time last year was due to long COVID symptoms.

In a recent interview, Inhofe told Tulsa World that he had to leave politics because he was suffering from the long-term effects of contracting the coronavirus.

He said "five or six" other political colleagues have long COVID, "but I'm the only one who admits it."

https://www.businessinsider.com/rep...d-aid-retired-due-long-covid-2023-2?r=US&IR=T
 
John Mac said:
Former GOP Senator James Inhofe retired because of long COVID symptoms. Other colleagues have it but keep it secret, he said.

Former Republican Senator James Inhofe said the reason he retired from representing Oklahoma this time last year was due to long COVID symptoms.

In a recent interview, Inhofe told Tulsa World that he had to leave politics because he was suffering from the long-term effects of contracting the coronavirus.

He said "five or six" other political colleagues have long COVID, "but I'm the only one who admits it."

https://www.businessinsider.com/rep...d-aid-retired-due-long-covid-2023-2?r=US&IR=T
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Inhofe had no problem voting against many (most? all?) forms of COVID relief (even for businesses. He has healthcare for life and a nice pension because of his time in the US Senate (and OK Senate before that). He probably also has independent wealth and connections all of which allow him access to care that most with LongCOVID cannot access.
 
My husband is milking his Long Covid – he's making me feel like his carer

He will barely lift a finger to make himself a cup of tea. He is dragging it out because he likes being waited on hand and foot

By Anonymous author27 February 2023 • 10:00am

As a busy working mother of three I don’t have time to be ill. I’ve made sure that I’ve had all of my Covid-19 vaccinations and never miss my annual flu jab. The £15 I have to pay for it is nothing in comparison to the time I would lose if I was laid up in bed ill for a week....

Behind a paywall


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/relationships/husband-milking-long-covid-making-feel-like-carer/

As the author is anonymous is this piece just a windup?
 
John Mac said:
My husband is milking his Long Covid – he's making me feel like his carer

He will barely lift a finger to make himself a cup of tea. He is dragging it out because he likes being waited on hand and foot

By Anonymous author27 February 2023 • 10:00am

As a busy working mother of three I don’t have time to be ill. I’ve made sure that I’ve had all of my Covid-19 vaccinations and never miss my annual flu jab. The £15 I have to pay for it is nothing in comparison to the time I would lose if I was laid up in bed ill for a week....

Behind a paywall


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/relationships/husband-milking-long-covid-making-feel-like-carer/

As the author is anonymous is this piece just a windup?
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I’m on a PC and if I push the Ctlr key and A key at the same time right when I get to the article it will highlight all of the article. Then I right click my mouse and choose copy which I can do before the paywall comes up. Lastly, I paste it into a word processing program and I can read it.

This article is part of a column called “Marriage Diaries”. I definitely don’t recommend it!

When we first met we both worked full-time in demanding jobs and did an equal share of household jobs, but now I feel like he’s dragging his illness out because he likes being waited on hand and foot. On top of that I’m burning with rage about the fact that he’s partly to blame for this because he didn’t have his last Covid-19 booster.

I didn’t marry him to be his carer and I know it might sound heartless, but I simply can’t, and won’t, take much more of this.
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A condition called POTS rose after covid, but patients can’t find care
Covid is causing a sharp rise in cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that causes rapid heart rate, fainting and dizziness.

At least a million new patients
While nobody knows exactly what causes POTS, symptoms commonly develop following a concussion or viral illness, said Satish Raj, a cardiac sciences professor and POTS expert at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute at the University of Calgary. Most POTS patients are women.

“There’s an element of dismissiveness and misogyny in the room. The POTS demographic is women who, for the most part, look pretty well,” Raj said. “They complain that their heart is racing, and I think that gets dismissed as anxiety a lot.”

POTS wasn’t widely recognized as a real condition by the medical industry until a little more than two decades ago. In the United States, the condition only received a distinct diagnostic code in October 2022. Without a diagnostic code, POTS often got lumped in with other heart conditions, which is why it’s been difficult to track the overall number of POTS patients.

Before covid, experts estimated there were about 1 to 3 million Americans who had POTS. And now there are at least 1 million or more new POTS patients as a result of covid, said Pam R. Taub, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, who is researching post-covid POTS for National Institutes of Health’s Recover covid initiative.

Another barrier is that even after POTS was recognized, there historically has been little funding from organizations like the National Institutes of Health to research POTS or any potential cure. One analysis found that the NIH allocated, on average, $1.5 million dollars for POTS research funding per year between 2015 and 2020, whereas other diseases that are about as common in women as POTS, like multiple sclerosis and lupus, have received an annual average funding of $118 million or $127 million respectively.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/27/pots-heart-fainting-long-covid/

Long article with no paywall. No mention of ME/CFS or PEM. Pathetic funding by the NIH.
 
Stolen Lives: The Reality of Living with Long Covid
Long Covid is affecting an estimated two million people in the UK; however, both the general population and the UK government have continued to overlook its impacts. This eBook sheds light on the life-changing condition
Long-term conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease, account for the lion’s share of a country’s disease burden and healthcare use. However, their management, particularly over the longer term, tends to be neglected in funding, research, or clinical practice. Enter stage left Long Covid, affecting an estimated two million people in the UK: a new, post-infectious condition with a broad definition, unclear mechanisms, and evidence-based treatments yet to be determined. As well as facing some of the same challenges as before the pandemic, Long Covid also offers opportunities to change perceptions and approaches to long-term conditions.

As with any area of healthcare, in both research and clinical care, we should be guided by people with lived experience, their carers, the public, and clinical and academic experts, but this has not always happened historically. In the case of Long Covid, patients not only coined the term and helped to define the disease; they have tirelessly continued to advocate for “recognition, research, and rehabilitation” from the early pandemic. They have shown experts that future pandemic planning should involve greater consideration of longer-term effects and the patient voice.

STIMULATE-ICP (Symptoms, Trajectory, Inequalities and Management: Understanding Long-COVID to Address and Transform Existing Integrated Care Pathways), funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research, is a two-year research effort to learn more and do more for people with Long Covid. It has involved universities, hospitals, industry, third-sector, policymakers, and patient organisations from around England. Within the STIMULATE-ICP study, there is an 11-strong patient and public involvement panel, which has informed the research, from grant application through to implementation and dissemination of findings.

As the study progressed, it became clear that beyond those with lived experience informing our research, we needed to document their rich, lived experience. This book represents that ideal, through the joint efforts of eleven people with Long Covid, sharing their anguish and aspirations. These accounts are part of the research process. They are also part of the historic record of our health systems’ greatest challenge in the last century: the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe this work can inform learning and care improvement of Long Covid and long-term conditions.
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https://www.openaccessgovernment.or...ing-long-covid-coronavirus-anxiety-gp/153867/
 
Laurie P said:
A condition called POTS rose after covid, but patients can’t find care
Covid is causing a sharp rise in cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that causes rapid heart rate, fainting and dizziness.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/27/pots-heart-fainting-long-covid/

Long article with no paywall. No mention of ME/CFS or PEM. Pathetic funding by the NIH.
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POTS affects roughly as many people as ME but gets one tenth the funding. Embarrassing.
 
There's a reason marriage vows include "in sickness and in health". Family is always the first-line care for serious illness. If you're not ready for this, you're not ready for marriage. Not everyone is. But the reality of modern medicine is that it's still very inadequate, barely covers 10% of the help people actually need. It's always family that does most of the work. When that falls apart, everything else does.

This is by far the most damaging impact of psychosomatic ideology: it deprives people of all the primary help that exists, turns loved ones hostile when we need it the most. This will always be unforgivable. It is one of the most blatantly immoral things humans have ever done, and boy did we try.

This ideology has destroyed so many families, so much love, so much life that could have been. And all for the most mediocre generic nonsense ever given such power: "it's so mysterious so we'll do nothing at all, go away". Millions of lives sacrificed for absolutely nothing but needless suffering and death.
 
Laurie P said:
A condition called POTS rose after covid, but patients can’t find care
Covid is causing a sharp rise in cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that causes rapid heart rate, fainting and dizziness.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/27/pots-heart-fainting-long-covid/

Long article with no paywall. No mention of ME/CFS or PEM. Pathetic funding by the NIH.
Click to expand...
For the record, I still regularly mostly see POTS, dysautonomia and OI dismissed almost universally with long haulers. If there has been a bit of positive change, it's so trivial it doesn't even make a bump. POTS is the easiest of them all, it literally can be objectively measured. Still can't be bothered to reach for the easy pickings.

Still the same garbage about deconditioning/stress/anxiety/the ghosts of dead aliens/magic. Learning from experience is a very rare exception to the norm, most seem perfectly content with continuing to do harm. They clearly can't even tell the difference.

And with the current model of research being completely inadequate... well it's not hard to see why the profession has failed miserably. I don't think it's possible to achieve anything with such a dysfunctional system. Discovery has basically stopped.
 
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