Covid’s misery-19 long-haul carriers: “We are all guinea pigs, we don’t know what’s around the corner.”

Ayston’s GP, which was otherwise supportive, suggested anxiolytics at some stage. “I stopped by him for a moment. I was suffering from terrible anxiety when my mother died in the past, so I knew what anxiety was and felt anxious, but my symptoms were anxious. There is none.

Until recently, the battle to recognize and believe in symptoms has been faced by many long-covid patients. “Many people in our group have been rejected or fired by GPs and families for months,” said Long Covid, founder of Facebook’s Long Covid Support Group, which now has more than 26,000 members. The patient, Claire Hastie, says. “This caused the relationship to collapse and people lost their longtime friends. It’s really devastating for many.” For months, online groups closed the gap without official support or approval. I filled it. “Community, compassion, warmth, and information sharing within the group have kept many of us moving,” says Hastie.

Even if your doctor is sympathetic and refers you to a chest x-ray or blood test, there are limits to what you can do. Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), said it was difficult for GPs dealing with remote counseling and heavy workloads. “By our very nature, we tend to be pretty skeptical, especially because we’re always watching new things come and go,” he says.

The lack of testing for those who get sick in March is another obstacle, and many cannot seek professional help without a positive diagnosis. Some people have managed to get an antibody test, but it is considered unreliable unless used within a certain period of time ( University of Birmingham Most accurate results are obtained if they are found 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms).

But Marshall feels the evidence is now too big to ignore. “The numbers we’re dealing with don’t matter,” he says. “The challenge now is how to deal with this new patient group.”

RCGP has partnered with public institutions, the National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), to urgently devise clinical guidance for Long Covid. The first step is to get a formal definition that allows doctors to diagnose patients, including those who have never been tested for the virus. Marshall wants immediate access to services such as ECG, cardiac scans, MRIs and blood tests, as well as specialized services such as local rehab clinics and disease-specific units such as cardiology and neurology.

“The focus was very much on patients with acute illness and those who entered the ITU early,” says Marshall. “We are now at a stage where we know that a significant number of people with infections will have long-term health problems as a result. We really need to think and plan for it. There is. “

He mentions diabetes. Diabetes currently accounts for 15-20% of the NHS budget, affecting up to 12% of the population in certain parts of the country. “We all expect and expect Covid not to be in such a place, but it can have a significant impact on how we design and deliver future healthcare services.”

The initial results of studies on the prevalence of long covid are very different. A Wuhan study found that 11% of people were still ill after 3 months, but a study that followed 142 patients in a Roman hospital after discharge found that 87% were 1 month later. Also showed at least one symptom. In a Dublin study, more than half of people infected with the coronavirus were tired after 10 weeks. According to a survey submitted to Congress earlier this month by Trisha Greenhalgh, a professor of primary health care at Oxford University. “A very small number of people” infected with Covid-19 are still ill after 6 months, probably around 1 percent...

Still, even if that percentage is as low (which we are unlikely to know for some time), it still represents a significant number of people with long-term health problems. I will. It is estimated that 100,000 people are infected daily at the peak of the first wave in March. That is, 1,000 people a day who are still ill after 6 months (700 people are diagnosed with diabetes a day). Now that the number of cases is increasing again, more people will be experiencing long-term effects. There is a feeling that long-term effects will remain even after the pandemic has subsided.

Elsewhere, charities are beginning to adapt accordingly.The· British Lung Foundation And Asthma UKWe are currently listening to opinions from people with no history of dyspnea, but have set up a post-covid hub and a special helpline.Healthcare charity Nafield Health Is conducting pilot rehabilitation clinics at NHS Trusts throughout the UK, providing access to respiratory professionals, physiotherapists, mental health and clinical exercise professionals.

However, some in the scientific community are cautioning against making too many predictions. “In principle, Long Covid should not be mentioned here in the sense that it is medically respected for long-term side effects that last for more than a year,” says Professor Francois Balloux, director of UCL. Institute of Genetics.

He states that any virus can cause short-term, medium-term, or long-term side effects, and it is expected that severe infections will take some time to recover:’I expect it to happen. There is no reason to do it worse than any other virus. In comparison, one study found that 40% of people who recovered from SARS still had chronic fatigue symptoms 3.5 years after being diagnosed.

Balloux also considers Covid-19 to be unique due to an unprecedented level of fear and worry in the population. “I don’t think it’s completely overkill to talk about post-traumatic stress disorder,” he says. “In fact, a significant number of these symptoms can be explained by extreme stress.”

He understands that it is a subtle issue. “Without giving up someone’s suffering and opinion, what I want is a little less hysteria, because I don’t think it helps anyone.”

Others don’t want to intimidate, but think Longcovid should be a priority. Not only because of the potential pressure on medical services, but also because of financial considerations, especially if a significant proportion of people with long covids are of working age. “Are these people dead? No, they aren’t dead,” says Dr. Banerjee. “But if you suddenly walk 30 minutes from a 10-mile exercise tolerance and then need to sit down, it’s a major obstacle to your quality of life. You’re doing a work that requires your mind and your brain If the fog or memory problems are protracted, or not as creative as they used to be, it will have a significant impact on your career prospects, or you are an athlete and your body is in your livelihood. Yes, if you have a 5% disability, you can move from the championship team to pumping gasoline very quickly.