Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Symptoms'.
Found 198 results
-
Content ArticleThis self-assessment tool has been developed by the British Lung Foundation for people with Long Covid symptoms. It aims to help patients identify and prioritise their needs, signposts them to further information and outlines the help they should get in dealing with Long Covid. It is anonymous and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Patients can also print out their answers and share them with healthcare professionals an employers to clearly highlight an individual's needs.
-
Content ArticleSpotting the first signs of symptoms of an eating disorder is extremely important when encouraging individuals to get the help and support they need as quickly as possible. Beat Eating Disorders have produced a poster giving you the tips to spot those very first signs of an eating disorder. If you’re worried someone you care about is showing the signs of an eating disorder, the first step is to talk to them and encourage them to seek help from their GP.
-
News Article
New research hints at 4 factors that may increase chances of Long Covid
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
It is one of many mysteries about Long Covid: Who is more prone to developing it? Are some people more likely than others to experience physical, neurological or cognitive symptoms that can emerge, or linger for, months after their coronavirus infections have cleared? Now, a team of researchers who followed more than 200 patients for two to three months after their Covid diagnoses report that they have identified biological factors that might help predict if a person will develop long Covid. The study, published by the journal Cell, found four factors that could be identified early in a person’s coronavirus infection that appeared to correlate with increased risk of having lasting symptoms weeks later: The level of coronavirus RNA in the blood early in the infection, an indicator of viral load. The presence of certain autoantibodies — antibodies that mistakenly attack tissues in the body as they do in conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus, a virus that infects most people, often when they are young, and then usually becomes dormant. Having Type 2 diabetes, although the researchers and other experts said that in studies involving larger numbers of patients, it might turn out that diabetes is only one of several medical conditions that increase the risk of Long Covid. The researchers said they had found that there was an association between these factors and Long Covid whether the initial infection was serious or mild. They said that the findings might suggest ways to prevent or treat some cases of Long Covid, including the possibility of giving people antiviral medications soon after an infection has been diagnosed. “I think this research stresses the importance of doing measurements early in the disease course to figure out how to treat patients, even if we don’t really know how we’re going to use all that information yet,” said Jim Heath, the principal investigator of the study. However, the study authors and other experts cautioned that the findings were exploratory and would need to be verified by considerably more research. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The New York Times, 25 January 2022 -
Content ArticleSymptoms involving almost every organ system have been reported after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Estimates of the prevalence of long covid (also called post-covid-19 condition, post-acute sequelae of covid-19, or chronic covid syndrome) vary considerably, partly because of confusion around the definition. The term long covid encompasses a broad range of symptoms, including objective complications of covid-19 (pulmonary fibrosis, myocardial dysfunction), mental health conditions, and more subjective, non-specific symptoms resembling those seen in post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis). Most studies to date have substantial limitations, including small cohorts, absence of control groups, non-standardised capture of symptoms, lack of correction for pre-existing medical conditions, participant reported infection, and variation in follow-up, as well as selection, non-response, misclassification, and recall biases. In children and adolescents, acute Covid-19 is less severe than in adults. Concern among many parents has therefore focused more on the potential long term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Unfortunately, fewer data are available on long covid in young people compared with adults.
-
News Article
Almost 100,000 could unknowingly have potentially deadly heart valve disease
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Experts have estimated that almost 300,000 people in Britain could have a potentially deadly heart valve disease called aortic stenosis - including almost 100,000 who are unaware they have it. The condition carries a high death rate if left untreated and occurs when the main valve which takes blood from the heart stiffens and narrows. Many people do not know they have the disease and only discover they do when it is too late for treatment. An international team of scientists, including experts from the Universities of Glasgow and Southampton, set out to research the extent of the disease in the UK. Their study, published in the journal Open Heart, estimated that in the UK in 2019 there were 291,448 men and women aged 55 and over with severe aortic stenosis. Of these, an estimated 68 per cent would have symptoms. This means an estimated 92,389 people have the disease and do not know it. The authors went on to estimate that more than 172,000 (59%) who have the disease will “die within five years without proactive management”. They concluded that aortic stenosis is a “common condition” in the UK but warned that “without appropriate detection and intervention, survival prospects are likely to be poor”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 January 2022 -
Content ArticleIn this primer for Patient Safety Network, the authors examine the issues surrounding diagnostic error and delay during the Covid-19 pandemic. They discuss the following issues: Biases in the diagnostic process - availability bias, anchoring bias, implicit biases Diagnostic testing for active SARS-CoV-2 Infection Clinical implications of diagnostic error
-
Content Article
Cervical cancer symptoms (Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
Cervical cancer symptoms include vaginal bleeding that is unusual for you, changes to vaginal discharge, discomfort during sex and pain in your lower back or pelvis. If you have symptoms, you should contact your GP. -
Content ArticleSouth Wales pharmacist, Geraint Jones, contracted COVID-19 in April 2020. He shares an insight to his experiences over the last year after he was later diagnosed with Long Covid.
-
Content ArticlePeople who have already been infected by some common cold viruses are less likely to get COVID, according to new results from a study by Kundu et al. funded by the NIHR.
-
Content Article
The less survivable cancers: symptoms and key facts
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Cancers
Today, 11 January 2022, the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT) launches its first ever Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day, to raise the profile of these cancers and to highlight the critical importance of early diagnosis in improving survival. -
Content Article
Long Covid: The hidden iceberg of Covid-19
Dr Shruthi posted an article in Blogs
In the wake of new variants and the relentless spread of Covid-19, understanding the complex nature of Long Covid is crucial. In this article, I aim to present useful information on the risk factors, plausible pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment of Long Covid. The obscure nature of Long Covid is a conundrum both for doctors and patients. To mitigate the burden of Long Covid, early identification of disease signs, appropriate treatment and timely access to rehabilitation care is vital. I believe that strengthening the 4 Rs (Reporting, Recognition, Rehabilitation and Research) through close collaboration between government organisations, pharmaceutical industries, patients and health care providers could reduce the impact of Long Covid. -
Content ArticleRed eyes, ringing ears, sensitivity to light, trouble hearing: although a loss of taste and smell have become well-known sensory symptoms of COVID, accumulating research suggests that vision and hearing are also frequent targets of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes the disease.
-
News Article
Many Covid hospital patients do not feel fully recovered year later
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Fewer than one in three patients who have ongoing Covid symptoms after being hospitalised with the disease say they feel fully recovered a year later, according to a study that offers new insights into potential treatments. As the pandemic has unfolded, a growing body of research has revealed that Covid not only causes health problems in the short-term, but also has long-term effects. Now a study has revealed many of those who had ongoing symptoms after hospitalisation are showing little improvement, with their condition similar at about 12 months after discharge to seven months earlier. “Only one in three participants felt fully recovered at one year,” said Dr Rachel Evans, one of the co-leads of the post-hospitalisation Covid-19 study – or Phos-Covid – which is led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, although the team says missing data means the figure could be as low as 2 in 10 or as high as 6 in 10. The research – which has yet to be peer-reviewed – reveals how the team collected both self-reported and objective measures of health, such as physical performance and organ function, among 2,320 adults about five months after they were discharged from hospital after having had Covid. They then looked at similar measures for 924 participants at about one year after discharge, 807 of whom had attended the previous follow-up. Between five months and one year after discharge, the proportion of participants reporting feeling recovered remained very similar – at just under 30% at 12 months – as did the prevalence of symptoms including breathlessness, fatigue and pain. Little or no improvement was seen for areas including organ function, physical function and cognitive impairment – or “brain fog” – with about one in 10 participants having a significant degree of the latter 12 months after discharge. “Unfortunately, we weren’t seeing improvements at one year from where people were at five months post-discharge,” said Evans. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 16 December 2021 -
News Article
Doctor with Long Covid found to have multiple blood clots in his brain
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A doctor who became very unwell with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic was later found to have multiple blood clots in his brain which could easily have killed him. Dr Ian Frayling started suffering with a "bone-cracking" fever, muscle pain and a "cough like no other" in March 2020, weeks before the national lockdown was announced by the UK and Welsh governments. His condition then took a turn for the worse when he started experiencing problems with his breathing and encountering such extreme brain fog that entire days would pass him by. The 62-year-old said his "frightening" range of symptoms, which also included irritable bowel syndrome, disruptive sleep and difficulty with coordination, persisted for many months and left him a fatigued shell of his former self. After sharing his story with WalesOnline 12 months ago, Dr Frayling was invited to meet the Senedd's health committee in March 2021 to give evidence of his battle with Long Covid. It led to a respiratory consultant reaching out to him and offering him a full clinical assessment at the University Hospital Llandough. Not only did she find problems with his heart and blood pressure, which were to be expected, but a referral for CT scans in May 2021 revealed that he was living with several blood clots in his brain which were very likely to be attributed to the after-effects of coronavirus. It meant suffering a catastrophic stroke was highly likely. After being given the deeply distressing news, Dr Frayling said his mind began turning to other people with Long Covid who may be experiencing similar neurological symptoms but are waiting many months to be referred to see a specialist doctor by their GP. "The consultant used her clinical skills and expertise [to properly assess me and give me a CT scan]. I'm one of the lucky ones. A GP can't directly send people off for these kind of tests, so there could be thousands of people with Long Covid, just like me, who aren't getting the help they need and are just being fobbed off." Read full story Source: Wales Online, 28 November 2021 -
Content Article
Post-COVID syndrome symptoms, functional disability, and clinical severity phenotypes in hospitalized and nonhospitalized individuals: A cross-sectional evaluation from a community COVID rehabilitation service (15 November 2021)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Data, research and statistics
There is currently limited information on clinical severity phenotypes of symptoms and functional disability in post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) Syndrome (PCS). A370 PCS patients from a dedicated community COVID-19 rehabilitation service was assessed using the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale where each symptom or functional difficulty was scored on a 0–10 Likert scale and also compared with before infection. Phenotypes based on symptom severity were extracted to identify any noticeable patterns. The correlation between symptom severity, functional disability, and overall health was explored. -
Content ArticleThis is the second of two dynamic reviews of the evidence around people’s experience of the enduring symptoms following a Covid-19 infection. The National Institute for Health Research published their first review of the evidence in October 2020. At the time there was uncertainty about the extent to which there could be lasting effects, and most people assumed a linear progression of a severe acute infection with a long recovery tail. The first review on “Living with Covid-19” was informed by the experience of professionals and the NIHR worked closely with a group of people with lived experience. This review focuses on the published evidence. In addition, it reports findings from a short survey of people living with Covid-19. With over 3,000 responses it provides an insight into the key issues and challenges for people living with Covid-19.
-
Content ArticleThe purpose of this investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is to help improve patient safety in relation to recognition of the acutely ill infant and child, recognising the difficulty in distinguishing between simple viral illnesses and life-threatening bacterial infections in very young patients. This Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch investigation reviewed the case of Mohammad, a baby who had become unwell and was taken to an emergency department by ambulance following a call to NHS 111. He arrived at 8.04pm and was considered to have a mild viral illness, subsequently being transferred to a paediatric observational ward, and discharged at 11.45pm with a diagnosis of likely bronchiolitis. At approximately 3.40am his mother contacted the ward as his condition worsened, which resulted in a 999 call. The ambulance crew did not consider that Mohammad was seriously ill so did not conduct a ‘blue light’ emergency transfer to hospital. Mohammad was admitted to the emergency department at approximately 4.40am and suffered a respiratory and then cardiac arrest at 5:28am, with attempts to resuscitate unsuccessful and stopped at 6:10am. Mohammad died of septicaemia caused by meningococcus (serogroup B) bacteria.
-
Content ArticleThis report looks at several incidences of pregnant women with Covid-19 symptoms being sent to a maternity unit, when it would have been more appropriate for them to attend A&E. It highlights some confusion amongst health professionals and states that the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Infection in Pregnancy Guidance was updated to make care pathways clearer.
-
Content ArticleWhile it is now apparent that Long Covid may persist after acute COVID-19, its nature, frequency and aetiology are poorly characterised. This study from MicHelen et al. aimed to regularly synthesise evidence on long COVID characteristics, to help inform clinical management, rehabilitation strategies and interventional studies to improve long-term outcomes. The authors conclude that Long Covid is a complex condition with prolonged heterogeneous symptoms. The nature of studies precludes a precise case definition or risk evaluation. There is an urgent need for prospective, robust, standardised, controlled studies into aetiology, risk factors and biomarkers to characterise long COVID in different at-risk populations and settings.
-
News Article
First pill to treat Covid gets approval in UK
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The first pill designed to treat symptomatic Covid has been approved by the UK medicines regulator. The tablet - molnupiravir - will be given twice a day to vulnerable patients recently diagnosed with the disease. In clinical trials the pill, originally developed to treat flu, cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the treatment was a "gamechanger" for the most frail and immunosuppressed. In a statement he said: "Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for Covid." Read full story Source: BBC News, 4 November 2021 -
Content ArticleGlobally, children have been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in many ways. While the majority of children with acute COVID-19 infection experience mild illness and fully recover, many go on to experience Long Covid. Long Covid is clinically identified by experience of persistent (and sometimes different) symptoms for several months after the acute infection (even in children who were asymptomatic). There is currently no agreed consensus on the case definition of Long Covid, but real-world data from American health insurance firms and the UK Office for National Statistics report that children may experience intestinal symptoms, pain, breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction and post-exercise malaise. The current understanding of the natural history, diagnostics and treatments of Long Covid is limited, meaning the medical model in isolation is not helpful. Michael Fanner and Elaine Maxwell in this paper explores how health visitors and school nurses are ideally placed to case-find children with Long Covid and co-produce child and family-centred care.
-
Content ArticleThe World Health Organization IWHO) has developed a clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition by Delphi methodology that includes 12 domains, available for use in all settings. This first version was developed by patients, researchers and others, representing all WHO regions, with the understanding that the definition may change as new evidence emerges and our understanding of the consequences of COVID-19 continues to evolve.
-
News ArticleMore than one in ten secondary school pupils and over a third of school staff who had COVID-19 have suffered ongoing symptoms, figures suggest. The most common symptom reported by staff and pupils was weakness/tiredness, while staff were more likely to experience shortness of breath than pupils, according to a small study of schools in England. The survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that about 35.7% of staff and 12.3% of secondary school pupils with a previously confirmed Covid-19 infection reported experiencing ongoing symptoms more than four weeks from the start of the infection. Among those experiencing ongoing symptoms, 15.5% of staff and 9.4% of secondary school pupils said their ability to carry out day-to-day activities had been significantly reduced. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This survey data reveals the largely hidden long-term effects of Covid on both students and school and college staff. Read full story Source: Wales Online, 28 September 2021
-
Content ArticleThis study in Jama Network Open examines the health outcomes of patients who were hospitalised with COVID-19 in two Wuhan hospitals between February and April 2020. The authors found that: 45 percent of patients reported at least one symptom one year after hospitalisation the most common symptoms that patients reported were fatigue, sweating, chest tightness, anxiety and muscle pain patients who experienced severe disease during hospitalisation were more likely to experience more symptoms of long-COVID one year on patients who experienced severe disease were likely to have higher chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment test scores that patients with less severe disease.
-
Content ArticleThe Children and young people with Long COVID (CLoCk) study is the largest study to date of children and young people in the world. It aims to describe how children and young people are affected by post-COVID physical symptoms and mental health problems and to identify those most at risk. The CLoCk study is led by UCL and Public Health England and involves collaboration with researchers at the universities of Edinburgh, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester as well as King’s College London, Imperial College London, Public Health England, Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London Hospitals (UCLH).
