What is Long COVID? | American Medical Association

Most people recover from the COVID-19-causing virus SARS-CoV-2 within a few weeks, but even after recovering from COVID-19, some experience new or protracted symptoms. However, there is no universal clinical case definition for these protracted symptoms. CDC labels long COVIDsAlso known as the post-COVID condition, a variety of new, relapsed, or ongoing health problems that people may experience more than 4 weeks after their initial infection with SARS-CoV-2. As

According to the CDC, long-range COVID is also referred to as long-range COVID, post-acute COVID-19, long-term effects of COVID or chronic COVID.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has named these symptoms: the acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). At a special meeting of the AMA delegation’s house in June 2021 AMA has adopted a policy “Supports the development of the ICD-10 code or code family and recognizes long COVID (PASC) and other new postviral syndromes as a definite diagnosis.

Long COVID Considered an obstacle Based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Symptoms of long COVID

Fatigue and “brain fog” are one of the most reported long COVID symptoms.According to the article published by JAMA Network ™Other symptoms include insomnia, odor and taste changes, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitation, dizziness, depression, and anxiety. In some cases, the symptoms become ineffective and the patient is unable to work or lead a normal daily life.

In April 11, 2022 Edition Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at Yale University and a senior researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, said in the AMA COVID-19 video update that patients with long COVID affect many different organ systems. Said to report more than 200 symptoms giving.

Patients with long COVID One of three categoriesAccording to Devang Sanghavi, MD, Intensivist and Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.

1. Patients with COVID-19 who do not fully recover due to direct viral damage and have ongoing symptoms.
2. Patients with symptoms associated with chronic hospitalization, such as when someone is in the hospital, in the ICU, or in bed for several weeks.
3. Patients with symptoms that appear after recovery.

Hypothesis about the cause of long COVID

Currently, the exact cause of the long COVID is unknown, but researchers say researchers are considering three hypotheses.

• Persistent viruses or viral residues in tissues such as viral RNA and proteins can cause chronic inflammation.
• Autoimmunity: Acute respiratory infections can cause autoimmune conditions in some patients. When this happens, it is difficult to undo.
• Potential reactivation of viruses such as dysregulated gut microbiota, dysbiosis, and Epstein-Barr.

Long COVID with kids

Studies show that children with both mild and severe COVID-19, including children who previously had multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), also suffer from long COVIDs with symptoms similar to adults. increase. Children generally report insomnia, malaise, headaches, muscle and joint pain, coughing, and poor concentration.

“The main difference between adults and children with long COVIDs is that their symptoms may be similar, The number of affected patients is small in children. “ Dr. Sangabi said. “And most of these symptoms tend to go away within a few months.”

Understand treatment options

NIH has established a national research group of diverse research volunteers and has awarded approximately $ 470 million to support large-scale research on the long-term effects of COVID-19. RECOVER initiative..Evidence-based understanding Treatment For a long time-COVID remains incomplete and guidance for medical professionals can change over time.

While striving to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the best treatments available, Iwasaki states that it is important to understand the different end types that underlie long-term COVID. increase.

Take a patient-centric therapeutic approach

A physician (member of the AMA Health System Program) at the Atlantic Health System in New Jersey Patient-centric approach to treatment Long COVID..

Federico Serone, MD, MD, Pulmonary Emergency and Sleep Medicine Specialist, Atlantic Medical Group, said: “The common ones are still fatigue, probably brain fog, probably breathing problems, but they still tend to have multiple problems, so this approach works well and patients are very grateful for it. In the same way. “

The July 2021 issue of AMA Journal of Ethics Also, listen to the patient’s illness experience with reference to reports of debilitating symptoms from COVID patients experiencing myopathic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME / CFS) and post-exercise fatigue (PEM). Point out the importance of.

Vaccination may help prevent long COVID

New data show that vaccination may help prevent long-term COVID. “Reassuringly, vaccinated patients are estimated to be 50% less likely to develop long-term COVID or post-COVID syndrome,” said Dr. Sanghavi.

Dr. Sanghavi also points to anecdotal reports that long COVID symptoms disappeared in some patients after being vaccinated with COVID-19.

AMA has produced a document of Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 vaccination covering safety, allocation and distribution, management and more. There are two FAQs, one designed to answer Patient question (PDF), and another to deal with Doctor’s Questions about COVID-19 Vaccine (PDF).

AMA COVID-19 Resource Center Evidence-based news,guidance, video, Podcasts, research highlights, and more about pandemics.Read the latest information COVID-19 vaccine..

Other major COVID-19 resources are:

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Was reviewed by: Andrea Garcia, Ph.D., MPH, Director of AMA, Science, Medicine and Public Health

review: May 12, 2022