Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations (13 January 2023)

Summary

It is estimated that at least 65 million people worldwide have Long Covid.

This research paper, published by Nature Reviews Microbiology, explores the current knowledge base of Long COVID as well as misconceptions surrounding long COVID and areas where additional research is needed.

Content

The paper looks at

• diagnostic tools and treatments
• impact of vaccines, variants and reinfections
• challenges
• recommendations (relating to research, training and education, public communications campaigns and policies and funding).

Authors conclude:

• Long COVID is a multisystemic illness encompassing ME/CFS, dysautonomia, impacts on multiple organ systems, and vascular and clotting abnormalities. It has already debilitated millions of individuals worldwide, and that number is continuing to grow.
• On the basis of more than 2 years of research on Long COVID and decades of research on conditions such as ME/CFS, a significant proportion of individuals with Long COVID may have lifelong disabilities if no action is taken.
• Diagnostic and treatment options are currently insufficient, and many clinical trials are urgently needed to rigorously test treatments that address hypothesized underlying biological mechanisms, including viral persistence, neuroinflammation, excessive blood clotting and autoimmunity.

Read the paper in full via the link below.