What is long COVID?
As many as 60,000 people in the UK are thought to be enduring “long COVID”. This occurs when a former coronavirus patient continues to endure complications after testing negative for the infection. The complications are vast and varied, from fatigue and heart palpitations to hearing loss and even signs of organ damage. Long COVID is thought to come about when a patient’s immune system overreacts to the coronavirus, leading to widespread inflammation. A new phenomenon, doctors are unsure how best to treat the condition. This may soon change, however, after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence was commissioned to draw up treatment guidelines by NHS England and NHS Improvement. This will hopefully also give some insight into how long patients may have these complications, with medics currently being unable to give an accurate prognosis.
