Long covid: Expert discusses number of people suffering in UK
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American researchers at a leading university have found that levels of a chemical are way lower in people with long Covid versus those that don’t have the disease. Knowing specific chemicals linked to the disease, which experts call “biomarkers”, raises the possibility of doctors easily diagnosing long Covid.
In the study, the experts at Yale University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai spotted that people with long Covid had half the amount of cortisol in their body, compared to healthy individuals.
Cortisol is a hormone that is produced in the body as part of its stress response. It’s often described negatively but normal levels help repair body tissue.
Low levels of Cortisol can bring about fatigue, muscle weakness, and low blood pressure.
The researchers looked at 215 people, including 99 with long Covid. As well as finding low cortisol levels, they found that people also had an increased immune response to non-Covid viruses in the body, such as the Epstein-Barr virus.
Past studies of Covid have linked the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus with the onset of memory-related long Covid symptoms.
Although the research is yet to be peer-reviewed, in the study, the authors suggest that the findings will “help guide additional studies” into the specific activities in the body that are causing long Covid.
They add it “may aid in the future development of objective biomarkers for Long COVID.”
Objective medical signs mean that doctors can test for a disease, or measure its progress and the effectiveness of treatment without relying on the patient to describe how they feel.
Currently, there is no single test for long Covid, and the lateral flow and PCR tests used for Covid-19 may not work as long Covid can persist months or even years after the virus has left the body.
Being diagnosed with long Covid can help people to recover more easily as it ensures they receive proper treatment.
The chronic condition can cause some serious complications if it isn’t handled appropriately.
For example, if somebody with long Covid over-exercises, this can prolong recovery and cause an unnecessary risk of a deadly heart condition called myocarditis.
Getting diagnosed in the UK currently involves visiting your GP with symptoms of long Covid.
The issue is that the condition can get easily mixed up with other conditions unless further tests are done.
Unfortunately, because the Yale study is not peer-reviewed yet, it means it cannot inform medical practices.
Until an objective test is approved, it is worth knowing the main signs of long Covid.
According to the NHS website, the main symptoms of long Covid include:
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- shortness of breath
- loss of smell
- muscle aches.
However, new research by University College London found roughly 200 symptoms of long Covid.
These symptoms are diverse and include hair loss, hallucinations, and erectile dysfunction.
These symptoms were identified through a web-based survey of 3,762 eligible people from 56 countries.
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