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. 2021 Sep;6(9):e007004.
doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007004.

Conceptualising Long COVID as an episodic health condition

Affiliations

Conceptualising Long COVID as an episodic health condition

Darren A Brown et al. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Sep.
No abstract available

Keywords: COVID-19; Long COVID; disabilty; patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs); public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of potential trajectories of episodic disability in people living with Long COVID. (A) Person with pre-existing disability whose disability is exacerbated by acute COVID-19, with disability remaining high during Long COVID with fluctuations over time. Presents with no trajectory of improvement over time. (B) Person experiencing new high level of disability during acute COVID-19, with continued episodic disability during Long COVID. Presents with a trajectory of episodes of limited improvement over time. (C) Person experiencing new moderate level of disability during acute COVID-19, who recovers after acute illness but during Long COVID experiences triggers that result in development of returning episodic disability. Presents with a slow trajectory of improvement over time.

References

    1. Office for National Statistics . Coronavirus and the social impacts of 'Long COVID' on people’s lives in Great Britain: 7 April to 13 June 2021.
    1. Office for National Statistics . Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK: 5 August 2021.
    1. Ziauddeen N, Gurdasani D, O'Hara ME. Characteristics of Long COVID: findings from a social media survey. medRxiv 2021.
    1. World Physiotherapy Response to COVID-19 Briefing Paper 9 . Safe rehabilitation approaches for people living with Long COVID: physical activity and exercise. London, UK: World Physiotherapy, 2021. ISBN: 978-1-914952-00-5.
    1. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention . Post-COVID conditions: information for healthcare providers: July 2021.

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