Long COVID

ACHA has decided to promote,
increase and help spread out knowledge about Long COVID.

As the European community has vast experience in COVID-19 and Long COVID research, diagnosis and treatment, to suit that aim, a consortium of European and Latin American scientific experts, universities and health organizations is being built to make up educational training programs, which will be delivered both in Latam markets and Europe.

Once the programs are ready, renowned local universities in several countries will get training from the European experts, to be able to replicate the content in their countries, offering the program to governments for them to train healthcare professionals and citizens.
The programs will be presented to international financing organizations to get the necessary budget for program deployment and its implementation in different countries.
ACHA will be in charge of organizing and managing the initiative, with an executive committee made up of outstanding scientists, researchers and healthcare professionals from different parts of the world.

Long COVID-19

Long COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 syndrome or chronic COVID syndrome, is a condition characterized by long-term sequelae appearing or persisting after the typical convalescence period of COVID-19. Although there is no exact definition of the disease, it has been described as a clinical condition characterized by the persistence of symptoms that go beyond four weeks after the onset of acute COVID-19 symptoms, and which may include symptoms typical of the disease in its acute phase, symptoms derived from damage to different organs caused by the disease and effects of treatment or hospitalization for COVID-19.

What is Long COVID?

Acute infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause different clinical manifestations, mainly respiratory, and be asymptomatic in a high percentage of cases.

After the onset, the virus can have the following evolution:

  • Symptoms usually end before 4 weeks.
  • There are effects derived from the infectious process, especially if it has been severe.
  • Signs and symptoms persist beyond 4 or 12 weeks, unrelated to other diseases the patient may have. These cases are referred to as Long COVID.

  • Long COVID is a condition characterized by long-term sequelae appearing or persisting after the typical convalescence period of COVID-19. It is also known as post-COVID-19 syndrome, post-COVID-19 condition, post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), or chronic COVID syndrome (CCS)

    Who can suffer from Long COVID?

    As it is an emerging disease, which is being studied, data is estimated. It is believed that about 10/15% of patients who have suffered from COVID-19 may present with persistent COVID.

    What causes Long COVID?

    Although the exact processes that cause long COVID remain unknown, three main hypotheses have been suggested:

  • The virus remains in the organism, originating latent or chronic infection.
  • The infection brings about an inflammatory storm, generating a late inflammatory response.
  • The existence of antibodies, which alter the immunological function.
  • What are the main signs and/or symptoms?

    According to available data, the most frequent reported symptoms are:
  • Extreme fatigue
  • General malaise
  • Inability to concentrate (brain fog)
  • Memory lapses
  • The most frequently affected systems or organs are:
  • General symptoms
  • Neurological symptoms
  • Mental health problems
  • Locomotor system symptoms
  • Respiratory symptoms
  • Digestive problems
  • According to a survey carried out by Sociedad Española de Médicos Generales y de Familia (SEMG -Spanish Society of General Practitioners and Family ) and groups of people suffering from LONG COVID, it is more frequent in middle-aged women (79%), although it can be present at any age, with symptoms that persist more than 6 months.

    What can I do to prevent Long COVID?

  • Stick to the measures that have proved efficient against COVID:
    ventilation, hand-washing, face-mask, social distancing and fewer meetings with other people.

  • Vaccination:
    studies show that vaccination could reduce significantly Long COVID symptoms.

  • Remember:

  • The most effective measure to prevent the serious development of the disease is vaccination.

  • Get vaccinated when the public health service offers you to do so.

  • Continue sticking to the measures that have proven effective against infection:
    • Room ventilation
    • Hand hygiene
    • Use of a mask
    • Social distancing
  • For any queries, contact your healthcare professional.

    This information is constantly evolving, based on new scientific evidence. For more information, refer to the website of the Ministry of Health or the different Health Ministries of your community.

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