Posted on May 25, 2022
What's ailing long COVID patients? A new federal study looks for clues
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/05/24/ [login to see] /whats-ailing-long-covid-patients-a-new-federal-study-looks-for-clues
Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began, a team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health started putting hundreds of people under the microscope to try to get clues to why some patients might end up with long-lasting health problems.
The scientists knew from previous outbreaks of infections diseases, like Ebola, that some patients would likely be left struggling with symptoms that could be debilitating.
Doctors combed through the volunteers' medical records looking for anything that might predispose them to the lingering health problems that later would be called long COVID, symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and shortness of breath. The researchers also put the subjects through more than 130 tests for any signs their vital organs were damaged, that the virus was still hiding in their bodies, or their immune systems were malfunctioning.
On Tuesday, the scientists released the first results from the study, which is ongoing. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, compared 189 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to 120 similar patients who did not get sick.
The results are both disappointing and provocative.
Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began, a team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health started putting hundreds of people under the microscope to try to get clues to why some patients might end up with long-lasting health problems.
The scientists knew from previous outbreaks of infections diseases, like Ebola, that some patients would likely be left struggling with symptoms that could be debilitating.
Doctors combed through the volunteers' medical records looking for anything that might predispose them to the lingering health problems that later would be called long COVID, symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and shortness of breath. The researchers also put the subjects through more than 130 tests for any signs their vital organs were damaged, that the virus was still hiding in their bodies, or their immune systems were malfunctioning.
On Tuesday, the scientists released the first results from the study, which is ongoing. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, compared 189 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to 120 similar patients who did not get sick.
The results are both disappointing and provocative.
What's ailing long COVID patients? A new federal study looks for clues
Posted from npr.org
Medical
Health
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""We continuing the analysis looking for any evidence of autoimmunity or anything else," Sneller says. "This paper is not the end of it — it's just the beginning."
At the same time, a new NIH study aims to follow about 20,000 COVID-19 patients, conducting detailed analysis of their health and comparing them to people who don't get COVID.
In the end, many experts think research will show that long COVID likely has many different causes, depending on such factors as the severity of the initial illness and an individual's predisposing characteristics."
...""We continuing the analysis looking for any evidence of autoimmunity or anything else," Sneller says. "This paper is not the end of it — it's just the beginning."
At the same time, a new NIH study aims to follow about 20,000 COVID-19 patients, conducting detailed analysis of their health and comparing them to people who don't get COVID.
In the end, many experts think research will show that long COVID likely has many different causes, depending on such factors as the severity of the initial illness and an individual's predisposing characteristics."
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