Thread by @mari_lasilva

“I now think of #COVID as a neurological disease as much as I think of it as a pulmonary disease, & that's definitely true in #longCOVID,” ~ Dr William Pittman, @UCLAHealth

My daughter is a medical comms specialist — her colleagues did the illustrations. scientificamerican.com/article/long-c…

“the COVID-causing virus, #SARSCoV2, can
reach the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. This contact may lead to
persistent and devastating symptoms of long COVID, which--more and more scientists
say-appears to be a neurological disease.”

Long COVID can present as #dysautonomia, impairing the autonomic nervous system, which controls “unconscious functions such as heartbeat, breathing, sweating & blood vessel dilation”. For many, “dysautonomia takes the form of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or #POTS.”

“Drugs called beta-blockers…can lower the heart rate & improve symptoms” like raise energy, reduced fatigue & improve mental clarity. For some patients “beta-blockers are not enough” & ivabradine a drug that’s “a bit off-label” but “being aggressively studied for POTS” may help.

The article also mentions that for the brain fog often associated w #longcovid, that “Adderall, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” can help ppl concentrate and stay focused.

The thing is this treatment is fm psychiatrist while other treatments

are from different specialists. This is part of the problem and why patients can fall through the cracks when there isn’t a great interdisciplinary team as part of a #longcovid clinic like they gave set up @UCLAHealth.

It would be great to see @UBCmedicine take this on to build

out better care in BC supported by @CDCofBC @adriandix @Dave_Eby @BCGreens @SoniaFurstenau @SKGandhiMD @Protect_BC @DrFiliatrault w federal info hub & funding support @JonathanWNV @JustinTrudeau @CPHO_Canada

“Nobody knew anything about it, but everyone listened to me,” Ghormley says. Perhaps because she was a professional from a medical field.. That's unusual for people w #longCOVID, many of them women, who are often dismissed by physicians who doubt their complaints are real.” This

happens FAR too often.

Studies have found:
• 16-30 million adults affected in the U.S. w 2-4 million forced out if work
• 20-43 % of pp infected w #SARSCoV2 may develop #longCOVID

“Even if only a small share of infections result in long COVID, experts say, they will add up

to millions more people affected—and potentially disabled.”

While vaccinated ppl have lower risk of getting #LongCovid, it’s “only 15 % less often than unvaccinated people.”

“The best way to avoid getting long COVID, experts all agree, is to avoid getting #COVID at all.”