Health

A collaborative research team from Yale and Duke University may have found biomarkers linked to impaired lung function in long-term COVID-19 patients. This study was recently published and may have provided answers about this “mysterious condition”. Researchers used patient data collected from the post-COVID-19 clinics to analyze whether the severity of the initial infection can impact persistent symptoms later. The team enrolled 61 patients from these post-COVID clinics in order to get a better understanding of what is driving the disease process leading to these lingering systems. To read the full article, Click Here

It has been more than a year since the pandemic began and many patients are still suffering from COVID-19 systems even after being “recovered” from the disease.  University College London Hospital created a post-COVID clinic to help those suffering from the aftermath back in May 2020.  Doctors didn’t know they would still be treating over 30% of those same patients. These same patients are still suffering and most of them are unable to work let alone handle daily functions. This unforeseen circumstance has baffled many scientists.  What the clinic did discover is that long COVID patients come and go in “three separate waves”. The pattern begins with a cough and fever, followed by a second set of new symptoms that affect the nervous system and it may taper off.  ...

COVID “Long Haulers” is being seen more often in patients who are obese, concerning medical experts. A current study suggests that patients from moderate to severe obesity are at a greater risk of developing long-term complications of COVID beyond the acute phase. Obesity can lead to the development of severe infection or death. The study included well over 2,500 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Cleveland Clinic Health system between March and July 2020. Doctors looked for indicators of possible long-term complications over the past thirty days.   The risk of hospital admission was 28% higher in patients with moderate obesity and 30% higher in those with a severe 40% or more BMI. To read the full article, Click Here

People who are suffering from long-haul COVID-19 are “alive, but not living”. COVID Long Haulers are suffering from long-term complications from the disease. Months after being cleared from a positive test result these symptoms persist and more times than not amplify with: ·      Tingling/numbing hands and feet ·      Chronic fatigue ·      Headaches ·      Ringing/deafness in ears ·      Confusion/ brain fog Many who are suffering are going elsewhere than their primary doctors, simply because they have little to no answers and most of the time patients are dismissed To read the full article, Click Here

Scientists from Cleveland conducted a study that found  individuals who recently contracted COVID-19 do not get additional benefits from vaccinations, indicating “that COVID-19 vaccines should be prioritized to individuals without prior infection”. The study reveals that individuals who previously had a symptomatic case of COVID-19 are less likely to get additional benefits from vaccination. In contrast, people who have not contracted COVID-19 will get the maximum benefits when getting vaccinated. To read the full study, Click Here

The hardest thing about tackling COVID-19 is dealing with the unknowns. Lately those unknowns have been long term symptoms not present in other diseases.  One such symptom is an increased risk of immune-mediated depression. It is becoming more common in survivors of COVID-19.  This type of depression refers to the immune system and how it is linked and triggers depression among the survivors.  Researchers looked at the link of the immune system and how it can contribute to an increased rate of depression, especially when individuals tend to have autoimmune conditions and diseases. A recent study from Harvard found that 52% of COVID-19 survivors met the criteria for moderate to severe depression four months after initial infection. Inflammation caused by the virus t...

In Connecticut,  many have recovered from COVID-19 actually that have “never fully recovered’. They are suffering from long-term complications they started as subtle to mild symptoms in the beginning.  Anywhere from 30-60 days after being declared received, people have reported still having symptoms of COVID-19. These symptoms are both neurological and physical.   There are no answers or time frames when these symptoms will get better, let alone if they will ever end. A lot of survivors are frustrated due to little to no answers, where primary physicians are “giving up” on. To read more, Click Here

All over the globe, everyone’s life was lockdowned for the past year. This was something never experienced, en masse. But we did because were told it would reduce COVID-19 transmission. But is Isolation doing something else?  The wearing of asks and general germ-avoidance and how it may  our immune system. Normally, our immune systems are exposed to common everyday pathogens. And for the past year they haven’t.  Immunes systems have for sure been altered. The lifestyle change of isolation has resulted in more substance abuse, sleeping less, coping with chronic stress and not getting outdoors, exercises and insufficient vitamin D. To read the full article, Click Here

COVID-19 has hospitalized 50% of the US population and now there is lasting damage being seen from the recent study based on cases during the first wave of the pandemic.  More than 40% of those who have been infected were never assessed for further treatment and rehabilitation needs are not being met for these patients. As a result, their numbers have not been recorded for statistics. Those who survived the infection are now in worse physical condition than during and before their initial infection. These survivors need outpatient therapy and additional support. To read the full article, Click Here

A disorder of the autonomic nervous system that controls our body’s involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood flow and vein contractions is being recognized as a common symptom in long-haulers.  Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS is a serious condition that sometimes overlap autoimmune problems is being seen as a symptom after contracting COVID-19. There are an estimated 3 million people effected by POTS a year and thanks to COVID, it is getting awareness and research is being conducted on how both tie together. To read the full article, Click Here