United States: According to a latest report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a new proposed classification for Long COVID may make it easier for patients to access the required care and healthcare.
Habitual Illness Post COVID- 19 Infection
According to the revised description, long COVID is a habitual illness that follows COVID- 19 infection and lasts for at least three months.
The lack of a extensively accepted bracket for Long COVID has made diagnosing and treating the illness delicate. Therefore, federal officials urged the National Academies to define it.
Impact of Inconsistent Definition
Dr. Harvey Fineberg, the leader of the authorship group and president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, stated that “the lack of a consistent definition for Long COVID has hampered research and delayed diagnosis and care for patients.”
“Our committee hopes that this single definition, developed with feedback from patient and research communities, will aid in educating the public about this highly consequential and widespread disease state,” he stated in a news statement from the academy.
More than 1,300 people provided feedback to the group that drafted the revised definition, according to the experts.
The paper suggests that the revised definition be adopted by federal agencies and implemented in the US.
Call for Adoption and Implementation
The National Academy of Medicine president, Dr. Victor Dzau, stated that “long COVID is a devastatingly persistent result of the COVID-19 pandemic that the medical community has yet to fully address.” “Important next steps for addressing its impact include better-coordinated care for this patient population, more conclusive diagnoses, and more streamlined and efficient research.”
Comprehensive Symptom List
According to the definition, Long COVID can show up in a variety of ways in any organ system in the human body.
A comprehensive list encompassing all indications, manifestations, and ailments linked to Long COVID would comprise over 200 items.
According to the description, long COVID might develop immediately following the first infection or can manifest in weeks or months. Even if a person had no symptoms at all after their first infection, they could still get long-term COVID.
Wide Range of Symptoms
Briefness of breath, cough, habitual fatigue,post-exertional malaise, difficulty concentrating, memory changes, intermittent headache, flightiness, rapid-fire heart rate, sleep disturbance, taste or smell issues, bloating, constipation, and diarrhoea are just a many of the symptoms that cases with long COVID may witness.
Experimenters also noted that long- term COVID cases may have one or further medical diseases that can be diagnosed. These could affect any of the body’s main organs and systems, as well as internal ails like anxiety and depression.
Diagnosis and Research Challenges
Furthermore, Long COVID can appear as a new ailment or worsen pre-existing medical issues. According to the panel, these ailments and symptoms can be minor to severe, go away in a few months, or last for years.
Experts stated that Long COVID can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex, or background.
Regretfully, the panel stated that no clinical diagnostics can establish the presence of Long COVID. The conditions and symptoms that are noticed must be used to make the diagnosis.