There are important differences between long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a new review of the problem – centring on the cardiovascular effects.
Some of the differences are subtle but there is early positive data supporting exercise rehabilitation for long COVID patients, according to the analysis at the University of Oxford Radcliffe Department of Medicine, UK.
They also note that breathlessness is one of the most common symptoms of long COVID – but not of chronic fatigue syndrome.
The researchers highlight three kinds of myocarditis that may be triggered by COVID infection – viral myocarditis, inflammatory myocarditis and autoimmune myocarditis.
Their analysis is published in the European Heart Journal.
One of the writers Dr Betty Raman, from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, is currently leading one of the first randomised, placebo-controlled studies of treatment of the condition.
She said: “Long COVID is emerging as a major public health issue, which makes it important that we better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 to improve our treatment of it.
“This review highlights the wide range of short and long-term health impacts and the mechanisms behind them, which is key to providing treatment and ongoing care.”
Professor Thomas Lüscher, Director of Research, Education and Development, Royal Brompton and Harefield Clinical Group, said: “This is the first review that summarises the diverse evidence on Long COVID and provides a balanced picture of this important issue. The pandemic brought not only acute illness and death, it became a chronic disease of many organs, not just the lungs, but the heart, brain, kidney among others.
“Long COVID is, besides its huge impact for the affected individual, of great societal and economic importance as it leads to leave of absence from work, reduced work performance and hence unforeseen costs.”
Long COVID: post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 with a cardiovascular focus. European Heart Journal 18 February 2022
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