Millions of people have been affected by the long-term effects of coronavirus, and the disease manifests itself differently from patient to patient, with symptoms ranging from brain fog to chronic fatigue.
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Millions of people have been affected by the long-term effects of coronavirus, and the disease manifests itself differently from patient to patient, with symptoms ranging from brain fog to chronic fatigue.
The Washington Post/Washington Post via Getty Images
At a recent Senate hearing long coronavirus, Rachel Beale took to the stage to share her experience managing her symptoms over the past three years. “The long COVID-19 pandemic has affected every part of my life,” the Virginia resident said. “Every day I wake up feeling tired, nauseous, and dizzy. I immediately start planning when I can lie down again.”
Beer is never alone.
Much of her experience is echoed by others battling long-term COVID-19 infections. This is a debilitating set of symptoms, ranging from her brain fog and extreme physical fatigue to depression and anxiety. Many people have lost months or even years to this disease and are extremely frustrated by the lack of answers.
Doctors are also worried about the lack of answers. “It kind of feels like you’re out in the wilderness,” said Rashika Karnik, medical director of post-corona medicine at Chicago Medicine. She says, “It’s hard to look a patient in the eye and say, ‘I don’t get it yet,’ and repeat that.”
There is currently no effective treatment for the long-lasting coronavirus. There are no widely established biomarkers available for diagnosis. It is difficult to enter a care clinic. Even if it does, most scientists believe it’s not just a disease to begin with.
But there is new and promising research that sheds light on long-lasting coronavirus symptoms.in A study on physical fatigueresearchers at Vrije University in Amsterdam compared muscle biopsies from patients with and without COVID-19 and found that the problem was not lung or heart function, but oxygen in the blood. They discovered that the muscle’s ability to absorb
And another research team at the University of Pennsylvania was able to identify one possible cause of brain fog. Decreased serotonin levels. They also succeeded in reversing brain fog symptoms in mice.
There is a growing network of scientists promoting research, many of whom receive private funding from philanthropists. Congress has allocated more than $1 billion for long-term coronavirus research, and the NIH recently announced new funding. But patient advocates say solving a problem of this magnitude requires continued attention and more funding.
Have other COVID questions you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected] – We look forward to hearing from you.
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This episode was produced by Margaret Cirino. Edited by Britt Hanson and Rebecca Ramirez. David Greenburg was an audio engineer.
