Researchers from Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) have identified a mechanism that may explain the neurological symptoms of Long COVID. The study shows that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein remains in the brain’s protective layers, the meninges, and the skull’s bone marrow for up to four years after infection. This persistent presence of the spike protein could trigger chronic inflammation in affected individuals and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. The team, led by Prof. Ali Ertürk, Director at the Institute for Intelligent Biotechnologies at Helmholtz Munich, also found that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines significantly reduce the accumulation of the spike protein in the brain. However, the persistence of spike protein after infection in the skull and meninges offers a target for new therapeutic strategies.
Comments closedTag: medical treatments
Everything Wrong with Canada’s Proposed Long COVID Recommendations
Researchers involved in the organizations Cochrane Canada and the McMaster GRADE Centre at McMaster University are developing guidelines to prevent and treat Long COVID in Canada. Their effort is supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada and their recommendations would likely have major sway in the way Long COVID is treated if adopted.
Every month, they release new recommendations and provide an opportunity for public comment. On November 20th, the group released a new set of Canadian Post-COVID Condition (CAN-PCC) recommendations which propose harmful and ineffective treatments: Exercise to prevent Long COVID and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat post-exertional malaise (PEM).
Comments closedThe story of Alberta’s rural long COVID program that never was
As better diagnosis and symptom management emerged for people with long COVID, researchers in Alberta set to work creating a program that could remotely connect urban specialists and rural patients. Between development and clinical implementation, the project was shelved.
With the province closing its clinics dedicated to treating people with long COVID, the story of Alberta’s innovative rural outreach program appears destined to remain incomplete.
Long COVID, or post COVID syndrome, refers to patients who are still experiencing symptoms twelve weeks after the initial infection. According to Health Canada, the condition affects about 1 in 9 adults who have had COVID.
Comments closedPaxlovid tied to fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations, reduced risk of long COVID
A new retrospective cohort study conducted in Dubai shows that the antiviral nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, sold as Paxlovid, is tied to a 61% reduction in COVID-19 hospitalization and a 58% lower rate of long COVID.
Comments closed‘Do no harm’ is hurting 400 million long Covid patients worldwide
Imagine, for a moment, that you wake up one morning with a debilitating illness that won’t let go. Weeks and months pass, but the crushing fatigue, constant headaches, and aching muscles remain. You can’t think straight. Simply showering or doing the dishes leaves you floored for days at a time, and the unpredictable symptoms — shortness of breath, dizziness, a racing heart — ebb and flow without warning. You find your life as you knew it slipping away.
This is life with long Covid: a condition that transforms the familiar rhythms of daily life into a living nightmare and constant battle for energy and clarity. But what happens when the only hope of lessening its severity becomes an issue of equity?
We are two of the more than 400 million people worldwide who have experienced long Covid. While we are both over four years into this illness, there is still not a single FDA-approved treatment for this devastating condition. Given the slow pace of research and development, there is unlikely to be proven treatment for years — possibly decades.
Comments closedChanges in Paxlovid coverage raises concerns about affordability, access in N.B.
New Brunswick has taken steps to make Paxlovid more affordable for some people at higher risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID-19, now that the federal government has stopped supplying the anti-viral medication to provinces for free.
But the drug designed to reduce symptoms from an infection and shorten the period of illness remains out of reach for many, either because of the cost of about $1,400 for a five-day course, a lack of timely access, or reduced eligibility.
Comments closedWant To Prevent Long Covid? Should You Take Metformin Or Paxlovid?
Previously, I wrote about Paxlovid being underprescribed for treating acute Covid in patients at high risk for serious illness. The FDA granted an Emergency Use Authorization based on data showing that “Paxlovid significantly reduced the proportion of people with Covid-19 related hospitalization or death” by 88% compared to placebo.
In unvaccinated people, Paxlovid was also associated with a 26% lower risk of long Covid in a study by Ziyad Al-Aly.
The data on Paxlovid for those previously vaccinated is mixed. A smaller study from the University of California at San Francisco found no benefit in people who had been previously vaccinated.
Comments closedThe US Government Is Shutting Down A Key Covid Website
Tomorrow the US government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research, The National Institutes of Health, will shut down its Covid-19 ‘special populations’ website.
This site hosts a huge amount of information about how to treat covid and long covid in the immunocompromised and in people with HIV, cancer and similar immune supressing conditions – so-called ‘special populations.’
The site is going totally offline.
Comments closedAlberta Health Services (AHS) is closing down its long-COVID outpatient program that had been operating since 2021.
In a letter to patients dated Aug. 8, AHS says the program has concluded.
“Your health and well-being remain a priority, and we are committed to ensuring you receive support during the transition,” it reads.
“We understand that this change might be challenging for some and thank you for your understanding and co-operation during this transition period.”
Comments closedSanders Proposes ‘Moonshot’ Bill to Combat Long Covid Crisis
Comments closedFor far too long, millions of Americans suffering from long Covid have had their symptoms dismissed or ignored — by the medical community, by the media, and by Congress. That is unacceptable and has got to change.
The legislation that we have introduced finally recognizes that long Covid is a public health emergency and provides an historic investment into research, development, and education needed to counter the effects of this terrible disease. Congress must act now to ensure treatments are developed and made available for Americans struggling with long Covid. Yes. It is time for a long Covid moonshot.
Common diabetes drug lowers SARS-CoV-2 levels, clinical trial finds
Today, researchers from the University of Minnesota published evidence that the common diabetes drug metformin decreases the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the body and helps reduce the risk of rebound symptoms if given early in the course of non-severe illness.
The study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggests metformin may also help prevent long COVID.
The researchers tested metformin against a placebo in 999 adults infected with COVID-19. More than 50% of the study enrollees were vaccinated, and treatment took place when the Omicron variant was the most dominant strain in the United States.
Comments closed