Long covid: How to define it and how to manage it
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On 3 September The BMJ hosted an online webinar on the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of “long covid.” An expert panel discussed its symptoms, course, and character and suggested strategies for managing it. Nikki Nabavi reports
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Risk factors for long COVID include older age, female sex, more than five symptoms during acute infection, comorbidities including autoantibodies, and previous psychiatric disorders.
“Some risk factors for long COVID are older age, female sex, having more than five symptoms during the acute stage of the infection, comorbidities including the presence of autoantibodies, and previous psychiatric disorders.”
From The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as [341]
People with long COVID often report impaired quality of life and issues with education and employment.
“People with long COVID often report impaired quality of life and issues with education and employment.”
From The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as [341]
Reported long COVID symptoms include fatigue, cough, chest tightness or pain, shortness of breath, sore throat, taste or smell abnormalities, palpitations, myalgia, joint pain, numbness or tingling, skin rashes, hair loss, diarrhoea, urological problems, headache, neurocognitive issues, insomnia, impaired balance or gait, and mental health problems; symptoms can be continuous or relapsing and remm
“Reported symptoms of long COVID include fatigue, cough, chest tightness, chest pain, shortness of breath, sore throat, abnormalities of taste and smell, palpitations, myalgia, joint pain, numbness or tingling, skin rashes, hair loss, diarrhoea, urological problems, headache, neurocognitive issues including altered memory and concentration, cognitive blunting (known as brain fog), insomnia, im”
From The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as [341]
Social and financial effects of COVID-19 contribute to issues surrounding long COVID, including mental ill health.
“The social and financial effects of COVID-19 also contribute to the issues surrounding long COVID, including mental ill health.”
From The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as [341]
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Raveendran, A. V., Jayadevan, R., & Sashidharan, S. (2021) · Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.04.007 · Cited by 921 · see citing works
The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic
Sachs, J. D., Karim, S. S. A., Aknin, L., Allen, J., Brosbøl, K., Colombo, F., Barron, G. C., Espinosa, M. F., Gaspar, V., Gaviria, A., et al. (2022) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01585-9 · Cited by 842 · see citing works
- Authors
- Nabavi, N.
- Affiliations
- BMJ Group (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Nabavi, Nikki
- Venue
- BMJ
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2020-09-07
- Volume
- 370
- Pages
- m3489
- ISSN
- 1756-1833 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3083045240
- Cited by
- 346
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 101 · 2021: 92 · 2020: 16
- Type
- other
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMJ (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Keywords
- long COVID, diagnosis, prognosis, symptom course
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