Science is always evolving. But as regards Covid and #LongCovid we already had exensive evidence of pathophysiology and severe outcomes in 2020—1. It's in the scientific literature and also settled thanks to the lived experience of patients. There was no room for complacency.
We knew very early in 2020 about the devastating, multidimensional effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, like in this @ScienceMagazine piece: how covid kills, a rampage through the body, published on 24 April 2020. There are many early publications like this
Early enough in 2020, Covid survivors, including those not hospitalized, started to raise awareness online and via traditional media about suffering from prolonged covid symptoms. This afforded the recognition of #LongCovid. We're still in early 2020
#LongCovid was openly recognized by the WHO in August 2020, following intense advocacy by those living with the disease, some of whom took part and submitted evidence to the landmark August meeting. The WHO itself and other countries issued formal guidelines in 2020 to 2022
There are now over 330,000 entries for Covid in the database for medical papers PubMed. Many papers provide key evidence into Covid pathophysiology, with several thousands devoted to #LongCovid alone (including under other names like post covid condition)
This is, in brief, the factual, historical and scientific reality of the Covid pandemic, with specific regard to Covid pathophysiology and #LongCovid. Scientific knowledge is incremental, but we can't say Covid and its long tail of disease is "mysterious" or benign
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"I just collapsed on the pitch, just collapsed. I woke up, threw up, fell unconscious again and then next thing I know I am in hospital."
Co Antrim footballer J.S. suffered an heart attack at only 19 while training after a Covid reinfection belfastlive.co.uk/sport/football…
Football striker Jourdan Shearer was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a training session back in December 2021.
"I was completely fine for about two hours during training. We then played this 8 vs 8 training game at the end and I felt something like a stitch."
"I was in hospital for a long time and then out for the next seven to eight months. I wasn't the best, I wasn't even allowed to walk. Then last July [2022] I got the all-clear and was allowed to return to competitive sport." J.S., now 20, said.
#LongCovid comes with a rich palette of biomarkers i.e. measurable biological indicators of disease. Not everyone has necessarily the same, especially on simple tests, and not everyone has access to very sophisticated imaging. But the abnormalities are there, and well documented
To learn about biomarkers in #LongCovid, scrolling down the rich literature, and even the patient reports shared on this platform, will suffice. Don't get me wrong. I repeat. Not everyone will come back from the doctor with a positive test. Not everyone has access to top tests
But biological abnormalities in #LongCovid are well documented across the patient population, with variations across individuals. We have abnormal pulmonary tests and imaging after Covid pneumonia and prolonged lung pathology e.g.
"I thought to quit football because of myocarditis. I was in hospital for 14 days. I had bronchopneumonia and yeah probably covid even if I were vaccinated."
Football star P. Obiang opens up about his cardiac issues that kept him out of sport for 1 year
It's not easy to understand what happened exactly, Pedro Obiang, 30, said. First, I was sick with bronchopulmonia [this was reported in August 2021] but yes I probably had covid too [teammate Defrel tested positive for covid around the same days]
I felt very tired but I thought I was stressed because of a family bereavement. I thought I was sort of asymptomatic, but when I was in the hospital the test showed the abnormalities. It was enough to raise up and my pulse went crazy. I had to stay in hospital for 14 days
Remember. Most people don't have the "tools" to go through this pandemic unscathed, really safe. Many people don't have access to antivirals like paxlovid. Many people don't have access to early care. Access to vaccines seems increasingly difficult, especially in some countries
Many people don't fully understand SARS-CoV-2 is airborne i.e. it can spread and linger in the air, not dissimilarly from cigarette smoke. Many don't fully grasp the implications of this. This is why not everyone understands why masks and "clean air" are so important
Many people are not in the position to be able to prevent infection effectively, even if they're well informed about how SARS-CoV-2 spreads: think of people who need healthcare, or have little children in school, or live with people who are less covid conscious than them
Reports of a systematic review, 2022, comparing studies that evaluated changes in glucose levels, blood pressure readings, and lipid profiles several weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This was to verify the incidence of new onset diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension
"I’m exhausted, I just want a new heart and an immune system again."
Stella G., 36, died after battling covid complications for almost 3 years. She was in need of heart transplant. She suffered an heart attack in 2020 one month post covid
Stella G. tested positive for covid in April 2020. "A month later, she had a post viral heart attack. By October of that year, she was outfitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator combo."
By June of 2021, "she needed emergency ventricular assist devices installed to help her heart pump blood and stay alive. It was only by December of that year, she recounted, that she finally began to walk without wobbling."