Data Emerge on “Long” COVID Characteristics and Risk Factors

Long COVID is now recognized as a post-viral syndrome of chronic debilitating symptoms that can last for months. Similar post-viral syndromes that have been observed follow other infections such as influenza, pneumonia, Epstein-Barr virus, and HIV. New data from a recent study by Kings College London of 4 million individuals in the United Kingdom indicates that:

It’s relatively common: one in 10 COVID patients had symptoms that were still present one month later and between 1.5-2 percent still had symptoms after three months.
Symptoms can be varied: Symptoms of long COVID include excessive fatigue/exhaustion, breathlessness, headache, insomnia, muscle fatigue/pains, chest pain, persistent cough, a loss of taste and smell, intermittent fevers, skin rashes and worsening of symptoms post-exercise.
Early disease patterns predict long COVID: Having a persistent cough, hoarse voice, headache, diarrhea, loss of appetite and shortness of breath in the first week of acute COVID meant someone was two to three times more likely to get longer-term symptoms.
There are health-related risk factors for long COVID: The most common risk factors associated with persistent COVID symptoms include high blood pressure, obesity, and mental health conditions.
It affects working age individuals, women more than men: Long COVID appears to be twice as common in women compared to men, and the median age of those experiencing long-term symptoms is 45.

A functional medicine approach is best suited to reduce risk factors, address symptoms using both natural and pharmaceutical interventions, support whole body immune resilience, and improve cellular energy function in the context of long-term post-viral syndromes.

Tags: COVID covid 19 infection Functional Medicine

Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND

https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/

Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled Younger You as well as a companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based Younger You Program, based on the study. Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Additional publications

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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s writing style is clear, concise, well-translated from scientific gobbledygook to understandable every language. And most importantly, it’s accurate.

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Of the myriad blogs I receive in my inbox, Kara’s is one that I actually read! It’s funny, clinically relevant and smart.

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Data Emerge on “Long” COVID Characteristics and Risk Factors

Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND

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