PETALING JAYA: Long Covid was finally defined after health practitioners worldwide spent years after the pandemic uncovering its traits by studying patients with the condition.
According to a recently released Washington-based National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (Nasem) report, Long Covid is an infection-associated chronic condition that occurs after a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The infection is present for at least three months either continuously, relapses and remits or progresses and affects one or more organ systems.
Nasem called on state and local authorities, clinicians, medical societies and organisations, public health practitioners, employers and educators to adopt the new definition for Long Covid.
“While several working definitions exist, no common definition for Long Covid has been agreed upon. The lack of a consensus definition presents challenges for patients, clinicians, public health practitioners, researchers and policymakers,” Nasem said.
For patients, varying presentations of the disease and competing definitions can lead to difficulties accessing medical care or obtaining support, scepticism and dismissal of their experiences, delayed or denied treatment and social stigma,” it added.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation president Harvey Fineberg and the authoring committee chair said the lack of definition for Long Covid has hampered research and delayed diagnosis and care for patients.
Long Covid manifests in multiple ways, Nasem said, adding that any organ in the system could be involved.
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This could include single or multiple symptoms, such as shortness of breath, cough, persistent fatigue, post-exertional malaise, difficulty concentrating, memory changes, recurring headache, lightheadedness, fast heart rate, sleep disturbance, problems with taste or smell, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.
Single or multiple diagnosable conditions are also possible.
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These include interstitial lung disease and hypoxemia, cardiovascular disease and arrhythmias, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, anxiety, migraine, stroke, blood clots, chronic kidney disease, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and other forms of dysautonomia.
Other conditions include myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, fibromyalgia, connective tissue diseases, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Based on the report, Long Covid can follow an asymptomatic, mild or severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and previous infections that may have been recognised or unrecognised.
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It can be continuous from the time of acute infection or can be delayed in onset for weeks or months following what had appeared to be a full recovery from acute infection.
The condition can range from mild to severe and can resolve over a period of months or persist for months or years, the report said.
It can affect children and adults and exacerbate pre-existing health conditions or present new conditions.
“Long Covid can be diagnosed on clinical grounds.
“No biomarker currently available demonstrates conclusively the presence of Long Covid,” the report stated.
“Long Covid can impair individuals’ ability to work, attend school, take care of family, and care for themselves.
“It can have a profound emotional and physical impact on patients and their families and caregivers.”
