News about Long Covid including its relationship to ME/CFS 2020 to 2021

@rvallee

Agree. I thought it was well explained in simple terms for the general public to understand. Now if they could remove the banner under Kathleen's name stating that she's suffering from ME and not from West Nile Virus.

 

I apologize if this has already been posted (mentions me/cfs in section 3.1 but sadly includes no links)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030439402030803X?via=ihub

 

I don't think it's been posted. Thanks for sharing.
Avindra Nath is main author.

This is where ME is mentioned (my bolding)

3.1. Long-Haul COVID
Most concerning however are the long-term complications of the viral infection. Nearly 10-35% patients continue to complain of persistent symptoms most of which are neurological in nature [2]. This compilation of symptoms has been termed, Long-Haul COVID or Long COVID. Often these symptoms can first manifest after the acute phase of the illness. The severity of the acute phase does not predict the development of this syndrome either. The manifestations are very similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. These patients complain of extreme exercise intolerance, dysautonomia, sleep disturbances, pain syndromes, low grade fever, dizziness, dyspnea and cognitive difficulties. Autonomic dysfunction can include palpitations, or tachycardia upon mild exercise or standing, hypo- or hypertension, gastroparesis, constipation or loose stools and peripheral vasoconstriction. In one series of hospitalized patients, 55% complained of fatigue and 34% complained of memory loss post-discharge [27]. The true extent of this syndrome, including the prevalence and duration of illness, remain unknown, but are an important avenue of research that will help us understand a more complete nature of the infection including its lasting effects.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1333163543919816709

 

I just read this and have to say I am impressed with Dr Nath here. He really did his research and listened to the symptoms, their patterns, the real concerns. He even lists extreme exercise intolerance first. Highly recommended read.

I hope this translates into real action but I see genuine understanding here.

 

Swedish opinion piece about children with long covid and the difficulties they are facing (including investigations by the social services, possibly meaning suspicions of FII, which could mean that they are at risk of being removed from their families).

Barn långtidssjuka i covid får inte vård

https://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/a/Vqg8jl/barn-langtidssjuka-i-covid-far-inte-vard

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1333363524861620225


@dave30th

 

British Thoracic Society
PHOSP-COVID Webinar

https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/research-and-innovation/phosp-covid/
registration required to view.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1333493672881627136

 

Not too many replies but I thought this was interesting for insight into what is happening at post-Covid clinics, specifically the Mt Sinai one. Who has been seen at Mt. Sinai and what have you learned?

Sadly but not surprisingly: not much. Comments mostly reflect that it's nice to be listened to by someone who understands, but that that is not significant by itself. There is no clinical response to this. This is a basic research problem, fundamental research even.

This is one of the longest-running clinic so far. I don't know what people expect out of building more clinics that can't actually do anything. So many efforts that could be put to productive uses instead. Medicine really needs to get a handle on opportunity cost and externalities. This is not the way to work, this is basically dysfunctional, doing things for the sake of doing things and then getting bored of it in the end.

 

Had missed this a few weeks ago.


Researchers investigating long-term effects of COVID-19

https://newsroom.uw.edu/postscript/researchers-investigating-long-term-effects-covid-19

A bit of editing weirdness but whatever.

The study known as INSPIRE (Innovative Support for Patients with SARS COV-2 Infections Registry) is tracking 4,800 individuals to assess the outcomes of infections on various age groups over a two-year period.

“We want to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the ongoing impact it has on people's lives,” O’Laughlin said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $13.7 the investigators million. UW researchers in family medicine and emergency medicine received $8.2 million of that amount to lead the clinical core, following people who tested positive for COVID over time to understand their symptoms and persistence of symptoms. They are partnering with Rush University in Chicago, Yale New Haven Health, the University of Texas in Houston and Southwestern, the University of California in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

...

“We are seeing a lot of previously healthy, active patients presenting to primary care clinics with shortness of breath, fatigue, decreased exercise tolerance, diminished sense of taste or smell, and/or new or worsening anxiety or depression several weeks, or even months post-COVID-19 infection,” she said.

Recruitment for the study began Oct. 1 for 3,600 COVID-19 cases and 1,200 control subjects. INSPIRE will gather information through ongoing surveys. A community advisory board made up of participants and researchers will be helping to oversee the study.
​

 

Frequent neurocognitive deficits after recovery from mild COVID-19

https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/advance-article/doi/10.1093/braincomms/fcaa205/5998660

Neuropsychiatric complications associated with coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) are increasingly appreciated. While most studies have focused on severely affected individuals during acute infection it remains unclear whether mild COVID-19 results in neurocognitive deficits in young patients. Here, we established a screening approach to detect cognitive deficiencies in post-COVID-19 patients. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 18 mostly young patients 20 to 105 days (median 85 days) after recovery from mild to moderate disease who visited our outpatient clinic for post-COVID-19 care. Notably, 14 (78%) patients reported sustained mild cognitive deficits and performed worse in the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M) screening test for mild cognitive impairment compared to 10 age-matched healthy controls. While short-term memory, attention and concentration were particularly affected by COVID-19, screening results did not correlate with hospitalisation, treatment, viremia or acute inflammation. Additionally, TICS-M scores did not correlate with depressed mood or fatigue. In two severely affected patients we excluded structural or other inflammatory causes by magnetic resonance imaging, serum and cerebrospinal fluid analyses. Together, our results demonstrate that sustained subclinical cognitive impairments might be a common complication after recovery from COVID-19 in young adults, regardless of clinical course that were unmasked by our diagnostic approach.​

 

Some rather better writing from the Grauniad in a Q&A about Long Covid:

How similar is long Covid to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)?

The extent to which long Covid overlaps with CFS (also known as ME), is generating heated medical debate. Both illnesses are triggered by viral infections and share overlapping symptoms. And at least a subset of people with long Covid also experience relapsing fever, muscle pain and exhaustion if they exercise beyond their capabilities; such “post-exertional malaise” (PEM) is a hallmark of ME/CFS.

However, fatigue can also be triggered by ongoing inflammation or reduced oxygen supply caused by heart or lung damage, and identifying whose fatigue is triggered by what is difficult. Some people may benefit from exercise, whereas it may harm others. Many experts therefore stress the importance “pacing”, which involves listening to your body and resting if you’re showing signs of PEM.

The answer to a second question is sensible, doesn't mention exercise at all, and quotes Drs Weir and Shepherd.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...d-can-children-get-it-your-questions-answered

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1333676221494947840

 

Metallic taste is what I see most often.

 

Article is paywalled, seems good. The same reporter has written several good pieces so far.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1333484899542519809

 

I don't think they'll find treatments to 'fix' their symptoms, but addressing autonomic issues will most likely be very helpful.

 

Opinion piece in a Swedish newspaper:

Expressen: Covid-effekterna som myndigheterna talar tyst om
https://www.expressen.se/debatt/covid-effekterna-som-myndigheterna-talar-tyst-om/

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