2/ The heartbreak we see has scientists working to discover answers💔
Drs. @VirusesImmunity & @PutrinoLab explore hypotheses
📍viral persistence
📍vital reactivation
📍autoimmunity
📍inflammation
Testing antivirals, immune modulators, blood thinners. bit.ly/45E1F4v
3/ Data from 223 unvaxxed Mild/Mod COVID survivors
✔️ Show abnormal MRI 🧠 white matter inflammation at 9 mo vs matched controls
✔️Prolonged cellular changes occur & we don’t yet know the significance
✔️Clinical outcomes vary strikingly across studies
bit.ly/43f0vL2
4/ Brain inflammation in other types of #Dementia…
🔸Is often present YEARS before memory & executive dysfunction deficits appear
🔸Don’t be complacent or assume #LongCOVID is safe for peoples’ brains
🔸It’s precarious!
🔸 I covered this haunting brain science in 🧵👇
5/ Dr. @EricTopol tackles important new COVID-19 brain data beautifully
Topol warns us…⛔️
“Recall post-polio syndrome appears 15-30 YEARS after polio - a leading theory is viral persistence.
H/T fig @SutherlandPhD
Read his new substack here: bit.ly/3OMOzfi
6/ COVID survivors who died of non-covid causes (N=20)
📌 In autopsies, 60% had “enormous amounts of Spike Protein” in skull, meninges & brain - ✍🏻 author @erturklab
📌Not seen in controls
📌Similar findings in skull & brain of mice
📌 Vaxx not studied
bit.ly/3MZDINI
7/ It is highly curious how these problems occurred in “neck-up” skull-meninges-brain structures 🤔
📎 Think again of long-term implications of this virus
📎 When >200 symptoms/signs occur in #LongCOVID after even mild infection
📎 Direct + indirect viral causes are at play
8/ We are sorting out risk factors for Long COVID
✔️ Eg: Obesity dampens the initial immune response to COVID
✔️ Pts w high BMI have less expression of IFN & TNF
✔️ “Leptin Resistance”👇
✔️ Could this allow ongoing viral replication & worse #LongCOVID?
bit.ly/43vvZfB
9/ More direction come from >200k Medicare pts
🔹Using narrow and broad definitions of Long COVID
🔹Risk factors found = hypertension, chronic lung disease, obesity, diabetes & depression
🔹Time between initial COVID & LC was ~8 mos
bit.ly/3MCrvgt
10/ How “Long” is Long COVID?
☑️ Swedish study found 85% of people w LC at 4 mos still had cognitive, muscle & fatigue problems at 2 yrs😔
☑️ Of those unable to work at 4 mo due to LC, ~50% unable to work at 2 yrs
☑️ Massive implications if plays out 🌎
bit.ly/3WG6Cp5
11/ A new “Scorecard for PASC” @JAMA_current
✏️ This is meant #Research
✏️ Not validated for clinical diagnostic use
✏️ N=9,764 pts
Notable:
10% pts had PASC at 6 mo
⬆️ COVID Reinfections ⬆️LC risk!
bit.ly/45ztWsQ
TY @tthaweethai @LisaAMcCorkell @leorahorwitzmd
12/ Each week ~25,000 people join >10M in US (>65M 🌎)
Suffering memory loss, heart problems, dizziness, extreme fatigue, sexual dysfunction+
Consistent data show ~10-12% of people develop LC after acute COVID
⬆️es w repeat infxns & unvaxxed
bit.ly/43azA2N
13/ How bad is Long COVID⁉️
⚠️ Study of N=536 Long COVID Wave 1 or 2 pts (87% never hospitalized)
⚠️ Found single & multiple organ impairment at 6 mo in 69% & 23% ⚠️ At 1-year it was basically the same w 59% & 27%
Crazy stuff not to be taken lightly
bit.ly/3qiOh5x
14/ Long COVID is a public health disaster hiding in plain sight
People are losing hope Some of @POTUS’s $5B successor to Warp Speed, Project NextGen, should be earmarked to develop treatments for #longCOVID
bit.ly/3WEAxOu
15/ NIH-sponsored study of 825 pts in 44 centers
@JAMA_current
📍Found 56% of previously hospitalized COVID survivors struggled
📍To pay bills at 6 mos due to ongoing health problems
📍Even bathing & preparing meals was hard
📍Quality of Life deficits👇
bit.ly/3YGOM5k
16/ Ongoing Brain problems are a plague in Pts with Long COVID
▪️Brain🔬reveals loss of supportive cells called glial cells & death of neurons
▪️Early dementia-like signs in too many #LongCOVID pts
▪️Even those who had mild symptoms during initial COVID
bit.ly/3ItiANv
17/ Society just doesn’t seem to care about Long COVID
🚫 The $1B earmarked for LC research has yielded precious little
🚫 Mental & bureaucratic wranglings have stalled study teams
🚫 LC communities are beyond frustrated by delays
H/T @rachelcohrs
bit.ly/3ql4N5a
18/ Science doesn’t validate injury
People do that, or they don’t
A recent @NEJM piece on “Facing the New COVID-19 Reality” did not even mention Long COVID 🤯
Government & policy makers operationalize actual relief…or they don’t 👎
bit.ly/3K1mIW4
19/ Vaccines - a few words please…
✔️ Importantly, there is an entity of vaccine-injury that looks very much like Long COVID
✔️ It’s real. It’s very rare compared to COVID-induced viral injury
✔️ And it’s heartbreaking
✔️ Still, the 20% in US who have a full series of shots… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
🎥 20/fin - My Hopes
🚩 Pts living w LC are the experts – LISTEN to them
🚩 Let’s find answers through hard-core science
🚩 New AHRQ network👇 is a start to make it easier for pts to get treatment, disability services, support groups
H/T @pamelarbishop
bit.ly/429RbXr
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