At least 10% of people who have suffered a SARS-CoV-2 infection suffer from disabling symptoms that last beyond four weeks | After months of work, more than fifty scientific entities, patients and professionals create the Spanish Research Network on Persistent COVID (REiCOP) in the form of a scientific association
Unforgettable day for the group of persistent covid in Spain. After almost 20 months of joint work, today the Spanish Research Network on Persistent Covid (REiCOP), of which a total of 57 scientific, professional entities and patient associations from all over the country. Their goal: to search for new evidence that “bring light” and improve the attendance of a “big problem” socio-sanitary: at least 10% of people who have suffered a SARS-CoV-2 infection have disabling symptoms that last beyond four weeks from the acute infection and even from twelve weeks from the onset of these symptoms.
The act of constitution was held at the Madrid headquarters of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), one of the research reference groups in ‘long covid’. The attendance has exceeded all expectations. Applause and great enthusiasm in a call in which some of the founding entities and others have connected virtually. This Network, formatted scientific associationwill bring together, together with the affected groups, all the organizations and professionals interested in improving the health care of the group.
THE “SNAP” TO A HUGE WORK
A call to which, by the way, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, was invited, to which the attendees “they missed” but could not attend “due to scheduling problems”. The act held in Madrid, said the president of the SEMG, Antonio Fernandez-Pro, is the “clasp” to an enormous work started shortly after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. With the encouragement of patients -who are a fundamental part of the new network-, professionals have not stopped investigating to demonstrate the enormous problem that this symptomatology supposes.
According to the vice president of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians and coordinator of the society’s persistent covid group, Pilar Rodriguez Ledo, there are many professionals, from all specialties, who care for patients who drag this clinic that does not go away with time after being infected. The doctor talks about an ailment “having multiple symptoms -which makes the process difficult-, where the whole organism can be affected, depending on its state of health, its history, of your immune system…”.
Rodríguez Ledo has explained that, in some viral diseases, there is the so-called postviral syndrome which is characterized by having a “more diffuse and extensive affectation”. The virus, he added, can “be quartered in the digestive tract, in the nervous system…”. Regarding the disability that some patients present after having passed the disease, the doctor advanced that it is another aspect in which they will work “and one of the legs that must be addressed, because some cannot be incorporated into their positions as before“.
One in eight people have symptoms between three and five months after having overcome the infection
Regarding the incidence of the ‘long covid’, the specialist alluded to the fact that currently would be around 10% of those who passed the diseasebut indicated that the percentages may be higher and referred to a recent Dutch study -one of the largest carried out to date on ‘long covid’ and published in August in the scientific journal ‘The Lancet’- which indicates that a out of every eight people who have contracted the disease have symptoms related to three to five months later having overcome the infection. According to research, about 13% of people who have passed the coronavirus present at least one symptom in the medium or long term, even after having overcome the initial illness.
Clinical record of patients
REiCOP is born with very specific goals: abound in the evidence regarding persistent covid and solve the care deficiencies of those affected under the prism of “a holistic and integrated approach”. Among the lines of work are research, teaching and the development of updated care procedures. One of the most ambitious projects of the Network is the development of a clinical registry, based on Primary Carewhich will be complemented by hospital care and the activity of pioneering entities in the investigation of Spain.
A clinical registry will collect data to identify the clinical and genetic factors associated with this disease
Basic data will be collected – patient recruitment has already begun – to identify clinical and genetic factors associated with this disease. clinical record It is under review and work will soon begin on the final version, the researchers say. Other projects also include the development and validation of a care scale -in October the research team will meet to take the first steps- based on the information obtained in the clinical record, beyond the monitoring of each of its symptoms.
The research team will meet in October to start with the first steps of the design of this scale. From the Research Network they will also study the efficacy of different drugs for the specific treatment of this ailment. In addition, the clinical guide for the care of patients with persistent covid will be updated and it is planned to publish, at the beginning of 2023, a new version of the document.
REiCOP will propose a training program on persistent covid aimed at health professionals and with university endorsement for this academic year 2022-2023
Also, to support health workers in their daily work, a apps to help professionals in diagnosis and decision making. REiCOP will also propose a training program with university endorsement for this academic year 2022-2023.