New research indicates that talking therapies, as well as physical and mental health rehabilitation, “probably improve symptoms of long Covid” However, the study found “no compelling evidence supported the effectiveness” of other interventions like certain medications, dietary supplements, or oxygen therapy, according to the academic team. An international group of scientists explained that current advice on managing long Covid is “limited” and often relies on medical consensus instead of systematic data review.
Therefore, they embarked on collating all available evidence pertaining to treatments for the condition. Their scrutiny of 24 trials involving 3,695 participants evaluating different long Covid remedies led to their deduction which stated: “Moderate certainty evidence suggests that a programme of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) probably reduces fatigue and improves cognitive function in patients with long Covid, and a programme of physical and mental health rehabilitation probably increases the proportion of patients who experience recovery or important improvements.”
Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, writing in The BMJ, have highlighted potential resistance to treatments for long Covid, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and physical and mental health rehabilitation. They noted that these treatments require active patient engagement, which may be challenging due to concerns about their safety and efficacy.
Some patients also worry that the effectiveness of CBT and rehabilitation suggests that long Covid is not ‘real’ but ‘psychological’. Dr Daniel Munblit, from King’s College London and Imperial College London, emphasised the research “underscores the importance of addressing patient concerns and scepticism surrounding CBT and rehabilitation, particularly the misconception that their effectiveness implies a purely ‘psychological’ basis for long Covid.”
He stressed the need for open communication and patient education to ensure treatment acceptance and adherence, reports Gloucestershire Live. Furthermore, he added: “Most importantly, the research did not find compelling evidence to support other interventions, including various medications (vortioxetine, leronlimab), dietary supplements (synbiotics, coenzyme Q10), and other therapies (amygdala and insula retraining, transcranial direct current stimulation, hyperbaric oxygen).”
Dr Margaret O’Hara, a founding trustee at Long Covid Support, has expressed that the charity’s position is clear on new findings: “This study has shown that interventions such as CBT have only modest effects for some people with long Covid. Long Covid ruins lives and we need highly effective treatments which will allow people to get their lives back, not generalised methods that may take the edge off but still leave people disabled.”
She pressed the point further: “It is now time to invest seriously in research on the underlying mechanisms so that effective disease modifying interventions can be developed.”
In a separate report revealed by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, researchers found that long Covid could double a patient’s cost to the healthcare system. They highlighted that patients with long-term symptoms following a Covid-19 diagnosis use health services “significantly more” than before catching the virus, leading to increased GP visits and hospital admissions, including emergency care.
With approximately 1.9 million individuals in the UK struggling with long Covid, experts underscore the complexity of the condition. Symptoms can range from fatigue and brain fog to breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, dizziness, joint pain, and muscle aches, underscoring its widespread impact on bodily functions.
Researchers are raising alarms as a new study shows that individuals with long Covid are placing an intense burden on the UK’s healthcare system. The study, carried out by academics from University College London, reveals that people living with long Covid incur annual costs to the health service averaging £704.80, a stark increase from the £293.60 incurred annually before their diagnosis.
Dr Yi Mu, joint first author of the research from UCL’s Institute of Health Informatics, said: “Long Covid is a debilitating disease for patients, presenting in a myriad of ways, with far-reaching implications for those affected.”
He expanded on the strain on health services, stating, “In this context, it is understandable that the people with Long Covid have complex healthcare needs and access services significantly more than others. Health systems have been under strain from the impact of Long Covid, stretching staff and infrastructure. Our study has quantified that cost, finding that people with Long Covid have healthcare service needs extending to GP, outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments, and that annually the median cost of this per person is more than double what it was before contracting Covid.”
Further hammering home the seriousness of the financial consequences, Dr O’Hara added, “The costs of long Covid are not just economic due to increased healthcare utilisation and loss of workforce, the human cost of the suffering endured by those with the condition is incalculable.”
“Long Covid is a debilitating disease for patients, presenting in a myriad of ways, with far-reaching implications for those affected.”
“In this context, it is understandable that the people with Long Covid have complex healthcare needs and access services significantly more than others. Health systems have been under strain from the impact of Long Covid, stretching staff and infrastructure. Our study has quantified that cost, finding that people with Long Covid have healthcare service needs extending to GP, outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments, and that annually the median cost of this per person is more than double what it was before contracting Covid.”
“The costs of long Covid are not just economic due to increased healthcare utilisation and loss of workforce, the human cost of the suffering endured by those with the condition is incalculable.”