Reply to NIH Long Covid study

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is an important study and jumping off point for long-haul Covid issues. If you've taken a research methods class, you know that one can only fail to support or support a hypothesis. This study did not test whether anxiety or mental health concerns were the cause of long-haul Covid symptoms, so we can't draw any scientifically supported conclusions about the syndrome being all "in your head." This study did not evlauate the "realness" of post-Covid symptoms, only some possible causal factors.

Some medical professionals believe that mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and/or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a dysautonomia, may be the cause of long-haul Covid symptoms. As far as I can tell from a keyword search of the article, none of the diagnostic blood or urine markers for MCAS were tested in this study. Nor were study participants subjected to a tilt table test, the diagnostic standard for POTS. As well, the possible causes of dysautonomia, like an imbalance the renin-angiostensin-aldosterone system were not tested in this study. It is a great start, and I it is good that we have this research, but it still leaves more questions than answers when it comes to post-Covid symptoms. [/quote]

Agree, though I would amend your statement to "some medical professionals [b]hypothesize[/b] that mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and/or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a dysautonomia, may be the cause of long-haul Covid symptoms." Not belief. A lot of what gets discussed as fact or belief around long Covid is really just scientific speculation. Similar to speculation early int he pandemic as to why Covid was so mild in young children -- there were medical professionals who hypothesized that hit had to do with frequent recent exposure to other coronaviruses, and other people speculated that certain childhood vaccines could be offering a stronger immune response. Neither of those are medical facts, it's just people thinking critically about something and speculating on possible causes.

I think it will be difficult to design a study into MCAS/POTS as possible causes of long Covid until the medical community can narrow the meaning of "long Covid". One thing making it hard to do research in this area right now is that the current trend is to constantly expand the definition of long Covid, to include literally any symptom that occurs in a person who at some point tested positive for Covid. You can't run studies into that. Most likely future studies will be limited to people with the most severe or debilitating long Covid symptoms, which is probably as it should be. I think with time many people who are currently considered to have long Covid will no longer be treated as such. A lingering cough after a respiratory virus is not uncommon. Mental health issues like anxiety or depression can have many causes and will be very hard to link to Covid itself.

I think in a few years, the idea that "most" people who get Covid have long Covid will be considered silly.[/quote]

It would be good to know wouldn’t it? I’ve somehow managed to avoid Covid thus far (it’s so prevalent now it may be any day) and my biggest concern is the long term issues you read about with potential impacts on cardiovascular function, onset of diabetes, brain plaques, etc. If we could rule these kinds of things out - or show they are super rare - in vaxxed and boosted people - society could really return to almost fully normal[/quote]

Yes, and that's why the media hype around this is so irresponsible.

I haven't had Covid yet either (as far as I know), but I choose not to worry about long Covid until I see a study *with a control group* that shows that it is a frequent occurrence in mild cases. So far, that study doesn't exist. I am not susceptible to media hype because I know how to evaluate sources.[/quote]

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