New guidelines for people suffering from long-term Covid

Approximately 1 in 20 people will experience symptoms such as tiredness, shortness of breath, muscle pain, and loss of taste and smell for 12 weeks or more after contracting the virus for the first time.

This is the result of research by King’s College London, according to which this number also rises to one in ten people under 50 years of age.

Other symptoms can include high temperature and psychiatric problems, and various features of the condition can appear as the disease progresses and overlap over time.

The study focused on data from 4,182 users of the Covid Symptom Study app who consistently logged their health and tested positive for Covid-19 through swab PCR tests.

Now the National Institute for Excellence in Health and Nursing (Nice) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (Sign) are examining which long-term Covid symptoms should prompt a referral to specialized services.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is also involved and the guidelines are expected to be published before the end of the year.

It is investigating which drugs and other therapies improve the physical and mental health of patients after an acute case of coronavirus and how long-term recovery and rehabilitation services can best be provided.

Paul Chrisp, Director of the Center for Guidelines in Nice, said, “This is a new condition and there is still much we do not know.

“Our goal is for the Post-Covid Syndrome Policy to initially set best practice standards for care based on the current evidence, but be adaptable as the understanding of the disease increases and respond to new evidence as it emerges . ”

Professor Martin Marshall, Chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Before we can effectively diagnose, treat and treat a disease, we need to know what we are dealing with.

“The ongoing health effects some patients experience after contracting Covid-19 can have dire effects on their lives – and as general practitioners we want to do everything we can to help them.”

The guidelines also provide tools to assess the recovery or worsening of patients with long-term Covid and to gather information from patients about their experiences trying to manage symptoms and access care.

The guidelines are intended to be made available internationally for reference by other health services around the world.