Long COVID: Pathophysiology – epidemiology and patient needs
KCE Reports 344 (2021)
It was not until several months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that it became apparent that some patients were taking a long time to recover and were suffering from a variety of persistent symptoms for which there was no explanation. In order to examine this hitherto unseen illness, the KCE researchers analysed the global scientific literature whenever articles on long Covid appeared in the leading scientific reviews. They also carried out an extensive online survey with 1,320 people suffering from long Covid.
Through these two approaches, they were able to confirm that long Covid affects people who have been seriously affected by COVID-19 as well as those who have had only mild symptoms. All age categories are included, but with a higher frequency for people aged 35 to 69 years. Six months after a coronavirus infection, at least one person in seven still has some symptom or other. These symptoms are very varied and probably correspond to a combination of different, and as yet hypothetical, mechanisms.
The qualitative study confirms that long Covid leads to a clear deterioration in quality of life and frequent problems in returning to work. The psychological impact is also great. Patients say that they often feel lost in our care system and criticise the lack of holistic treatment for their problems.
As a result, KCE has proposed that these patients should undergo a functional assessment so that they can be referred to tailored, appropriate and coordinated treatment. This assessment would be carried out in specialist centres, but the treatments prescribed should be dispensed on the front line wherever possible.
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