One of the nation’s leading medical advisory organizations has weighed in on the long Covid with a 265-page report that acknowledges the severity and persistence of the condition for millions of Americans.
More than four years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, lingering Covid continues to impair many people’s ability to function, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a nongovernmental organization that advises federal agencies on science and medicine. .
“Long Covid can affect people across the lifespan, from children to the elderly, and across sex, gender, race, ethnicity and other demographic groups,” it said, concluding that “long Covid is associated with a wide range of new or worsening health conditions and includes more than 200 symptoms involving almost every organ system’.
Here are some of the National Academies’ findings, which were compiled by a panel of 14 doctors and researchers:
How many people have long covid?
The report cited data from 2022 that suggested nearly 18 million adults and nearly a million children in the United States had long-term Covid at some point. At the time of that survey, about 8.9 million adults and 362,000 children had the condition.
Research has shown that the prevalence of long-term Covid decreased in 2023 but, for unclear reasons, has increased this year. As of January, data showed that nearly 7 percent of adults in the United States had prolonged Covid.
Diagnosis and consequences
There is still no standardized way to diagnose the condition and there are no definitive treatments to treat it. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery, and each person will need a program tailored to their complex needs,” the National Academies said, advising that doctors should not require patients to test positive for the coronavirus to be diagnosed. with long covid.
The report said some of the more troublesome symptoms – such as brain fog and chronic fatigue – can prevent people from returning to work and should make them eligible for disability payments, although their symptoms may not fit the Social Security Administration’s current disability categories.
“Prolonged Covid can lead to an inability to return to work (or school for children and adolescents), poor quality of life, reduced ability to perform activities of daily living and reduced physical and cognitive functioning for six months to two years or more. “, the report said.
People most at risk
People who become more severely ill than their initial coronavirus infection are more likely to have long-term symptoms. Those sick enough to be hospitalized were two to three times more likely to develop long-term Covid.
But, the report said, “even people with a mild initial course of illness can develop prolonged Covid with serious health consequences.” And “given the much larger number of people with mild versus severe disease, they make up the large majority of people with long Covid.”
Women are about twice as likely to develop long-term Covid. Other risk factors include lack of adequate vaccination against the coronavirus, having pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities, and smoking.
Long Covid in children
Children are less likely than adults to develop long-term Covid and are more likely to recover from it, but some children “experience persistent or intermittent symptoms that can reduce their quality of life” and “result in increased school absences and reduced participation and performance in school, sports and other social activities,” the report states.
Recovering from long Covid
Some people recover over time, and there is some evidence that after a year, many people’s symptoms have lessened. But some surveys show that the recovery slows or slows after that first year, the report said.
Because prolonged Covid varies so widely from person to person and affects so many body systems, each case must be approached individually.
For some people, “returning to work too early may lead to health deterioration and a gradual return to work schedule may be recommended,” the report said, especially for people with post-exercise malaise, a symptom that includes low energy or setbacks after doing activities that involve physical or mental strain.
Employers may need to offer accommodations to returning workers, such as allowing them to take frequent breaks or work remotely.
Some similarities with other chronic conditions
“Long Covid appears to be a chronic disease, with few patients achieving complete remission,” the report said.
Some symptoms are like those of other conditions that occur after infections, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
The biological cause of the symptoms is unclear. Theories include inflammation, remnant virus fragments, and immune system dysfunction.
Equity issues exacerbate Covid for a long time
Long Covid presents more barriers for people who face economic challenges or discrimination because of their race or nationality, where they live or their education.
Such patients may experience more skepticism about their symptoms, may be less able to take time off work, and may live farther from long-term Covid clinics or treatment programs.
