Welcome to Running: A FEVER. My name is Michael Davis, and this is a podcast about fitness, diet, and medicine. My goal is to live a long, healthy, happy, active life right up to the very end. I want to love my life enough to make it last as long as possible.
I’ve wanted to do an episode on Long COVID since way back in July of 2020. It was actually episode 220 when I first mentioned it. At that time there was essentially no knowledge of the long-term effects. Which makes sense, because the episode was recorded only 8 months after the first appearance of COVID-19 in November of 2019.
Now it’s been almost five years, and there is now a wealth of data. In episode 220 I also mentioned a study called the CORAL study that had just been up and running for a month at that time. There are actually several of these studies, and I will devote the next episode to them.
For now, let’s assess what we have. Long COVID is defined as a chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and lasts for at least 3 months. Symptoms can emerge, persist, resolve, and reemerge over weeks and months.
At this point, according to the Long COVID Alliance website, over 23 million US adults and children have been affected by Long COVID. It is more common in women than men. It is also more common in Hispanic and Latino people, people who were hospitalized for COVID, people with underlying health conditions and those over 65, and people who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Prevention. The same strategies for lowering health risks from COVID-19 apply to Long COVID. These include having the latest vaccine, washing your hands, and getting plenty of fresh air. Something to note is that COVID-19 vaccination is the best available tool to prevent Long COVID.
Diagnosing Long COVID can be done by your healthcare provider based on your health history, if you had a diagnosis of COVID-19, and a health exam. There is no test for Long COVID.
The good news is that not everyone who gets COVID will get Long COVID. If you have persistent symptoms, contact your healthcare provider. If you are diagnosed with Long COVID, there are some things you can do to improve your symptoms and quality of life.
There are support groups like the Long COVID Alliance and Long COVID Kids. These groups are involved in scientific research, patient advocacy, and policy work. Some patients find that journaling about their symptoms and what makes them better or worse can be helpful. It’s important to talk to a healthcare provider about how to better live with Long COVID.
Treatment, as far as I can tell, is based on treatment of the individual symptoms. But there is a lot of ongoing research. The Long COVID Alliance claims to have raised over a billion dollars for research.
That’s the latest on Long COVID. Apparently there is still a lot to be discovered. Perhaps I’ll do the next episode on it in another four years! But be sure to tune in next week for a look at some of the studies that have been going on since the pandemic began.
I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you have the fever, keep it burning. And if not, catch the fever. And I will see you next time on Running: A FEVER.
Reference:
https://www.cdc.gov/covid/long-term-effects/index.html
https://sites.google.com/view/thecoralstudy/publications
Support groups: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/long-term-effects/living-with-long-covid.html#cdc_generic_section_4-resources