Royal Society group calls for large-scale cohort studies and greater public awareness
Urgent data gathering and more research are needed to improve understanding of “long Covid”, the long-term health impacts following a Covid-19 infection, a Royal Society report has said.
The report, from the society’s Science in Emergencies Tasking: Covid-19 group, highlights the wide range of persistent or recurrent symptoms reported by individuals following a Covid-19 infection, from severe fatigue and breathlessness to skin rashes and a metallic or bitter taste.
The scientists call for a working definition of long Covid to be established, either as a single entity or in a small number of subtypes—although “strong evidence would be required to justify such subdivision at this stage”.
Well-planned and large-scale cohort studies with repeated examination of patients over time after the infection are also required, they argue.
Other recommendations include raising awareness to make sure the general public is aware that Covid-19 is “not always a disease from which a quick return to full health is guaranteed, and that people of any age may develop long Covid”.
Meanwhile, patient groups should be involved in the work at the “earliest stages” to help ensure the outputs are sensitive to the needs of patients and their families.
“At the moment we do not even know enough to define what long Covid is, but it is clear that it can have a severely disabling effect on people of any age,” said Charles Bangham, chair of immunology at Imperial College London and an author of the report. “We have to act now to get a better understanding of this condition and raise awareness of the potential threat, particularly for younger people who may believe that Covid is not a threat to them.”
Meanwhile, a £4 million research project funded by UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research is aiming to help scientists across the UK to access the data they need to understand the Covid-19 antibody response. Experts from the Universities of Nottingham, Dundee and Edinburgh, along with Public Health England, will build a platform to connect different sources of Covid-19 data derived from patient blood samples in order to provide scientific insights.
“We are really excited to be bringing together the best of the UK’s data assets into an accessible format,” said Philip Quinlan, head of digital research service at the University of Nottingham. “It will ensure leading researchers have access to the latest data and at the scale required to give definitive answers to some of the most significant questions that require an answer.”