A long COVID can last a year; Many victims quit their jobs | Health Info

By Steven Reinberg Health Day Journalist

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Patients with “long COVID” may experience symptoms that last a year or more, putting their work and daily routines at risk, according to a new study.

Examining more than 150 people with lasting effects from COVID-19, researchers said patients reported problems with thinking, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, problems sleeping and dizziness.

“The majority of the people we studied had been ill for at least a year and still saw significant difficulties in participation in life, feelings of general well-being and health, the ability to socialize and the ability to perform. daily tasks, ”said lead researcher David Putrino. . He is Associate Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

The cause of the long COVID is unclear, Putrino said. It is possible that the virus is still causing reactions months later or maybe it has altered the immune system and that is what is causing these lingering symptoms, he theorized.

Putrino insisted that these symptoms are real physical reactions to the virus and are not caused by mental or emotional issues.

“These patients show symptoms consistent with over 100 years of post-viral disease literature,” he said. “So this is a known phenomenon that accompanies viruses, especially new viruses, and the symptoms are very consistent with other post-viral diseases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease. and even the Spanish flu. “

It is also unclear whether these patients will ever recover, said Putrino, who is also director of rehabilitation innovation for the Mount Sinai health system.

“We hope they will,” he said. “We have data that suggests that patients are responding to the rehabilitation intervention. We are also conducting research to understand what might be the underlying cause, and from there we can start thinking about drug development and to drug targets. “

Rehabilitation for a long COVID consists of several steps to identify – and avoid – the triggers. It also involves gentle exercise to help reprogram the autonomic nervous system, which regulates critical involuntary functions of the body.

If you think you have a long COVID, Putrino suggests finding a doctor who thinks what you are going through is real and who is willing to work with you as a partner.

“Also avoid anyone who pushes aggressive exercise or physical training. There is an abundance of literature suggesting that with post-viral illness, exercise therapy will worsen your symptoms and not improve you,” he said. he declared.

For the study, Putrino and his colleagues looked at 156 patients treated for a long COVID between March 2020 and March 2021. Participants filled out a questionnaire about various symptoms and what they believed triggered them a median of 351 days. after infection. None had been vaccinated at the time of the study.

More than 8 in 10 respondents were still bothered by fatigue, brain fog (67%), headaches (60%), trouble sleeping (59%) and dizziness (54%).

Further assessment found that 60% of the patients presented with some degree of mental impairment, such as decreased short-term memory, difficulty remembering names, and problems with decision-making and daily planning.

Of the 135 patients who answered the employment questions, 102 had worked full time before becoming ill, but only 55 – about half – continued to work afterward.

Additionally, researchers found that the main trigger for symptoms was physical exertion (reported by 86% of patients), followed by stress (69%), dehydration (49%), and weather changes (37%). .

Infectious disease expert Dr Marc Siegel said he was particularly concerned about changes in cognitive or mental abilities.

COVID-19 can cause inflammation in the brain, which can affect thinking, he said.

“Inflammation is a second disease. It can lead to direct central nervous system damage and even white matter changes,” said Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

Siegel, who was not in the study, believes COVID-19 has more effects on thinking and memory than other viruses. “I think you’re going to find more and more cognitive effects. The question is how long does that last,” he said.

He also said that COVID-19 vaccination, even after suffering from the disease, could help prevent a lengthy COVID.

“There is some evidence, although I cannot yet call this evidence, that being vaccinated after COVID helps reduce lengthy COVIDs,” Siegel said. It can help boost your immune system and reduce the amount of virus in your body, he explained.

SOURCES: David Putrino, PhD, director, Rehabilitation Innovation, Mount Sinai Health System, and associate professor, rehabilitation and human performance, Icahn School of Medicine in Mount Sinai, New York City; Marc Siegel, MD, clinical professor, medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 20 October 2021, online

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