In this first of The BMJ’s covid-19 grand rounds, we focus on the phenomenon of “long covid”. Many patients who have relatively mild symptoms from the infection, continue to experience these long after the usual 12 day duration.
For these patients, the post-acute syndrome has a significant impact on their lives, but many questions remain about its diagnosis, management and prognosis.
To discuss long covid we are joined by
Fiona Godless, editor in chief of The BMJ (chair)
Paul Garner, professor of infectious diseases at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Nisreen Alwan, associate professor in public health at the University of Southampton
Trisha Greenhalgh, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford
Valentina Puntmann, associate professor at University Hospital Frankfurt
Nicholas Peters, professor of cardiology at Imperial College London
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London
Some people who experienced relatively mild cases of COVID-19 have found themselves struggling for months with puzzling long-term symptoms that doctors have been working to better understand. We take a closer look at what researchers have learned so far about the so-called long haulers.