Overview of Daily Disease Tracking
The COVID-19 Long-haul Foundation Monitors Volunteers who experience Long-COV19 Illnesses and collects detailed data that we use to better understand the causes for these strange long-lasting disorders. Working with Scientists and Doctors in academic research and with Drug Scientists in industry, the Foundation is developing cures.
By Volunteering and maintaining a record of your illness we are able to place you in Forums and Groups that best match your needs. You will not only learn from our focused research, but we can provide you with knowledge of what others have seen that improves their conditions and you can share your progress with others who are in the same boat; suffering the same problems.
It is currently unknown why most people recover fully within two to three weeks and others experience symptoms for weeks or months longer. A review by the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Research hypothesized that ongoing long COVID symptoms may be due to four syndromes:
- permanent damage to the lungs and heart,
- post-intensive care syndrome,
- Post-viral fatigue, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), and
- continuing COVID-19 symptoms.
Other situations that might cause new and ongoing symptoms include:
- the virus being present for a longer time than usual, due to an ineffective immune response;
- reinfection (e.g., with another strain of the virus);
- damage caused by inflammation and a strong immune response to the infection;
- physical deconditioning due to a lack of exercise while ill; and
- post-traumatic stress or other mental sequelae, especially in people who had previously experienced anxiety, depression, insomnia, or other mental health difficulties.
Long COVID is similar to post-Ebola syndrome and the post-infection syndromes seen in chikungunya and the infections that appear to trigger ME/CFS, and the pathophysiology of long COVID may be similar to these other conditions.
Risk factors
According to a King’s College London study initially posted on 21 October 2020 risk factors for long COVID may include:
- Age – particularly those aged over 50
- Excess weight
- Asthma
- Reporting more than five symptoms (e.g. more than cough, fatigue, headache, diarrhoea, loss of sense of smell) in the first week of COVID-19 infection; five is the median number reported
Women are less likely to develop severe acute COVID but more likely to develop long COVID than men. Some research suggests this is due primarily to hormonal differences,[47][48] while other research points to other factors, including chromosomal genetics, sex-dependent differences in immune system behavior, and non-biological factors may be relevant.