Defining Long Covid: Study Reveals Prevalence And 12 Key Symptoms
A new study is helping to standardize the definition of long covid, with an aim toward better treating patients. It found that 10% of people infected by the omicron variant developed long covid. And of the 200 symptoms associated with the condition, the most distinctive to long covid include fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, GI issues, heart palpitations, and 7 others.
The Washington Post:
Long Covid Has 12 Key Symptoms, New Study Finds
More than 200 lingering symptoms have been reported in patients who suffer ongoing health problems after a covid infection. Now a new study has identified 12 key symptoms that best define the debilitating condition known as long covid. The findings, published Thursday in JAMA, are based on 9,764 participants in a study called the RECOVER initiative, which stands for researching covid to enhance recovery, a four-year, $1.15 billion study of long covid funded by the National Institutes of Health. (Morris, 5/25)
USA Today:
Long COVID Symptoms Finally Identified: What This Means For Treatment
Although the process seems slow − this study was started more than a year ago − it is essential to precisely define long COVID before researchers can pursue treatments, said Andrea Foulkes, the study's other lead author. If they don't have a way to distinguish people with long COVID from those without, they won't be able to tell if a treatment is making a difference. (Weintraub, 5/25)
AP:
US Study Finds 1 In 10 Get Long COVID After Omicron, Starts Identifying Key Symptoms
About 10% of people appear to suffer long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic, according to a study of nearly 10,000 Americans that aims to help unravel the mysterious condition. Early findings from the National Institutes of Health’s study highlight a dozen symptoms that most distinguish long COVID, the catchall term for the sometimes debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even a mild case of COVID-19. (Neergaard, 5/26)
Also —
CIDRAP:
Risk Of New Post-COVID Mental Disorders Higher Only In Older Patients, Study Suggests
A study including all Danish adults published yesterday in JAMA Psychiatry suggests an increased risk of new-onset mental illness only in SARS-CoV-2–positive patients aged 70 and older. It also finds that worsened mental health after COVID-19 hospitalization is common but no more so than after other, similarly severe respiratory infections. (Van Beusekom, 5/25)
