Interesting new correspondence in The Lancet. Citation and selected extracts below. This is clearly an area where urgent research is needed to help inform policy and practice.
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CITATION: Long COVID and self-management
Kirsty Brown et al.
The Lancet Correspondence| volume 399, issue 10322, p355, january 22, 2022
People with COVID-19 often have symptoms in the long term (ie, long COVID), including fatigue, breathlessness, and neurocognitive difficulties. The disease mechanisms causing long COVID are unknown, and there are no evidence-based treatment options. Clinical guidelines focus on symptom management, and various treatment options are being evaluated. The scarcity of advice has often left people with long COVID feeling isolated and frustrated in their search for therapies...
People with long COVID reported turning to a vast range of over-the-counter medicines, remedies, supplements, other therapies, and dietary changes to manage relapsing and remitting symptoms. Individuals have expressed a willingness to try anything because symptoms have substantial effects on quality of life and work capability...
People with long COVID have sought advice from social media platforms, such as Facebook, where individuals share their self-management experiences, and online resources, including medical blogs and journals. Due to the small evidence base, these platforms are a potential source of conflicting information and misinformation...
Research is needed to understand the self-management practices that are being used to manage long COVID symptoms; factors influencing their uptake; and the benefits, harms, and costs...
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Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA Coordinator, neil@hifa.org www.hifa.org
