Category: Clinical Considerations
What do we know about covid-19’s effects on the gut?
BMJ What gastrointestinal symptoms can covid-19 cause? Lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. These may not be the symptoms people expect with covid, but around 50% of people experience them after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in some people they’re the only symptoms.1 Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms may be the first sign of infection or may […]
May 1, 2024
Long COVID Taste Loss May Not Involve Taste Buds
Med Page Today Study attempts to untangle taste and olfactory dysfunction 1 year after infection. Taste dysfunction was gone 1 year after exposure to COVID-19, but smell loss remained for some people, a national cross-sectional study showed. Empirically measured taste function didn’t differ between individuals who had acute SARS-CoV-2 infection a year earlier and uninfected […]
Apr 24, 2024
Long COVID leaves telltale traces in the blood, finds new study
Medical Express Findings from the largest UK study of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection show that long COVID leads to ongoing inflammation which can be detected in the blood. In an analysis of more than 650 people who had been hospitalized with severe COVID-19, patients with prolonged symptoms showed evidence of immune system activation. The […]
Apr 10, 2024
How lung distress from SARS-CoV-2 can cause heart damage
NIH SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can trigger a life-threatening condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which fluid leaks into the lungs and prevents oxygen from passing into the body. Other complications of COVID-19 include systemic inflammation and cardiovascular complications. Previous studies have found changes in the makeup of lung immune cells in patients […]
Apr 2, 2024
Hidden COVID virus found nearly two years after infection
Mercury News Pieces of the COVID virus can lurk in our blood and tissue for almost two years after the initial illness has vanished, a discovery that might offer clues to the mystery of lingering post-infection disability, according to new research from UC San Francisco. Four years after the U.S. went into lockdown, the worst […]
Mar 12, 2024
Long covid may cause cognitive decline of about six IQ points, study finds
Washington Post It’s more than four years since the first cases of covid-19 were identified — but many of its longer-term effects, including for those living with long covid, remain unclear. Now, a new study has some worrying findings that suggest covid may have longer-term effects on cognition and memory — and that these lead to measurable […]
Mar 6, 2024
COVID-19 Tied to Increased Risk for Rheumatic Disease
MedPageToday Rates of new-onset autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIRD) such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus were significantly increased following bouts of COVID-19 in South Korea and Japan, researchers found. With data from large repositories in the two countries, AIRD rates were 25% higher in South Korea (95% CI 18-31) and 79% greater in […]
Mar 5, 2024
Low iron levels resulting from infection could be key trigger of long COVID
Cambridge University Problems with iron levels in the blood and the body’s ability to regulate this important nutrient as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a key trigger for long COVID, new research has discovered. The discovery not only points to possible ways to prevent or treat the condition, but could help explain why […]
Mar 5, 2024
How to Spot Kawasaki Disease in Your Child
NYT Cases of this rare, potentially dangerous childhood illness are growing in the U.S. It is often mistaken for scarlet fever, tick-borne diseases or common viruses. Here’s what to look for. Doctors across the United States are seeing a rise in Kawasaki disease, a mysterious condition that primarily affects children under 5. The illness is […]
Feb 27, 2024
A Spike in Heart Disease Deaths Since Covid Is Puzzling Scientists
Bloomberg Mortality data of the past four years show a wave of deadly cardiovascular and metabolic illness. Almost three weeks before Covid-19 was reported to be spreading in the US, Patricia Cabello Dowd dropped dead in the kitchen of her San Jose, California, home. A previously healthy 57-year-old, Dowd had complained of body aches and flu-like symptoms days earlier, but […]
Feb 27, 2024