Local doctors and public health workers gathered last week to learn about the latest research on Long coronavirus.
Dr. David Putrino of Mount Sinai, an expert on the long coronavirus and other acute post-infectious syndromes, travels to Santa Barbara for a dinner lecture hosted by the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health and the nonprofit Chelsea Initiative. I did.
Long-term COVID-19 is broadly defined as someone who has survived an acute COVID-19 infection and continues to have symptoms three months later and has not fully recovered, Putrino said.
It causes more than 200 symptoms and affects 10 organ systems. “It's expressed in every way you can imagine,” he said.
This week marks four years since Santa Barbara County declared a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, noted Dr. Muhanad Hammami, the county's public health director.
“For some of you, this is the first time we're meeting you in three dimensions,” Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease physician at Cottage Health, said in her remarks. She reflected on the pandemic and the medical research currently being conducted.
“We're talking about science that was unimaginable 10 years ago,” she said.
Putrino said hundreds of millions of people around the world are suffering from acute post-infectious syndrome, including the long coronavirus.
“For a long time, there has been gaslighting in these diagnoses,” Putrino said.
When patients said, “I know most people recover, but I don't,'' doctors didn't always listen.
He also said that Long coronavirus and other acute post-infectious syndromes are more common in women than in men, with a ratio of about 70:30.
How common is long-term COVID-19 infection?
As of March, about 6.8% of U.S. adults had long-term coronavirus infections, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's a scary statistic, Putrino said, since the last survey in October put it at 5.3%.
According to the same study, about 30% of people who have ever been infected with coronavirus experience a long-term illness.
Putrino said his staff warned him that there were too many “scary slides” in his presentation, but he still presented the slides, including the following slides: Each time you survive an acute COVID-19 infection, your risk of long-term COVID-19 increases.
He also said that even mild acute illnesses can cause brain damage.
“Now that coronavirus is under control, there is no such thing as a harmless infection.”
The most common symptom of Long coronavirus is post-exertional fatigue, which occurs in more than 90% of people, with patients reporting complete weakness or being unable to get out of bed, he said. Stated.
“Their muscles aren’t working,” he said. “Their energy system is broken. We must fix it before they can have power again.”
According to Putrino, about 25% of the country's population is severely infected with COVID-19 and is no longer able to work. The economic impact is estimated to be $3.7 trillion, not to mention the impact on patients' lives, he said.
He shared that the team at Mount Sinai is studying cortisol and sex hormone levels in long-corona patients.
They are also working on a Long COVID test using blood biomarkers, which has been successful in identifying Long COVID patients rather than healthy patients.
How to help long-term coronavirus patients
Putrino also shared guidance on how to diagnose and treat long-corona patients.
There were many clinicians in the room from Cottage Health, Sansom Clinic, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinic, Public Health, and other local healthcare providers.
Although there is no approved treatment, there are many ways to stabilize a patient's condition, Putrino said.
“Listen to your patients and their needs,” he said. “Long corona patients are long corona experts.”
He suggested how to use pacing and lifestyle management (how to avoid limited energy, hydration, and things that make you feel bad). Breathing method. and autonomic nerve rehabilitation.
One of Long's coronavirus patients who attended the event said his doctor referred him to different specialists for different symptoms, and Putrino said fragmentation is common.
Because long coronaviruses are so common, primary care doctors need to become more specialized in diagnosis and treatment, Putrino said.
Local health leaders reflect on the pandemic
Before Putrino's presentation, local health leaders reflected on their work and the pandemic's impact on their communities.
As of December, 840 Santa Barbara County residents had died from COVID-19-related causes.
