The impact of persistent COVID

Daria Efimova

Since the declaration of the pandemic as a result of COVID-19 two years ago, thousands of researchers have focused their efforts on the different issues related to the disease. Thousands of studies have discussed its prevention, treatment, transmission and mutation. However, there is one aspect that only recently began to come to light: the sequelae associated with COVID that continue to affect patients after the acute phase is over. Called post-COVID, or persistent COVID, it affects and will affect thousands of people who have been infected with this disease, so it is crucial to study its effects and consequences. 

With this intention, the high performance research group in Manual Therapy, Dry Needling and Therapeutic Exercise of the Rey Juan Carlos University has launched its new project: Long-COVID EXP-CM. This initiative, backed by the regional development funds of the European Union, was born with the aim of studying the evolution, clinical, molecular and genetic characterization, as well as the treatment of the symptoms of persistent COVID. It has the participation of 67 researchers from different areas of knowledge: health, communication and business, among others. It is also the first post-COVID unit in Spain linked to a public university. 

A multidisciplinary investigation

The group had already been working with patients affected by persistent COVID since August 2020. At that time, information about this condition was very scarce, since it was a very recent topic. As explained by César Fernández de las Peñas, the main researcher of the project: “In 2021, we decided to request financial support to be able to expand our studies, since we had been treating these patients for some time due to the great impact caused by persistent COVID.” After obtaining financing from the European regional development funds, a more extensive and multidisciplinary investigation has been carried out. Although the call lasts for one year, it is expected that this initiative will take several years. 

Long-COVID EXP-CM has twelve sub-projects covering different impact areas of persistent COVID. It includes clinical studies, psychological evaluation and analysis of the effects that the disease has on people's daily lives (for example, changes in their consumption). Together, it forms a complete picture of the coexistence of patients with the disease, both during and after its course. "Each project develops a part: clinical, molecular and genetic analysis, personal surveys to better understand the experience of patients, among others," explains César Fernández. "Because COVID-19 impacts people in very different ways, all the studies are part of the same puzzle and all are relevant."

an unknown issue

Although the impact of persistent COVID is becoming more and more known, it is still an issue largely forgotten by society. "There are even professionals who do not believe in this disease," says César Fernández. "We are facing an epidemic that requires time to be recognized as a real syndrome, and until then it may take years." For this reason, it is important to echo the research that treats patients with persistent COVID: although it seems invisible, it continues to condition the lives of thousands of people who have survived the disease. There are still few units that treat this condition, so it requires an in-depth study in all areas. Long-COVID EXP-CM, With a broad framework of objectives and a multidisciplinary team, it symbolizes a new stage in the research and treatment of affected patients, both now and those yet to come.