Ucla Study Shows Varying Definitions Make Long Covid Harder To Diagnose And Treat

What is Long COVID? Despite hundreds of published studies and millions affected worldwide, nan aesculapian section still lacks a clear answer. 

New investigation from UCLA finds that nan meaning of Long COVID varies truthful wide crossed published studies that nan percent of group identified arsenic having nan information tin disagree dramatically, making it harder to dainty patients and beforehand research. 

The study, published August 12 in JAMA Network Open, highlights conscionable really overmuch nan deficiency of a modular meaning is clouding our knowing of Long COVID. 

The findings item nan request for a modular meaning for Long COVID. Up to 1 3rd of nan variety successful nan published studies whitethorn stem from nan truth that they usage different definitions for Long COVID."

Lauren Wisk, study lead, adjunct professor of medicine successful nan section of wide soul medicine and wellness services research, David Geffen School of Medicine astatine UCLA

Using information from 4,700 U.S. patients successful nan CDC-funded INSPIRE cohort, UCLA researchers applied 5 published Long COVID definitions from studies conducted successful nan US, U.K., Netherlands, Sweden, and Puerto Rico. The result? Depending connected which meaning was used, nan estimated prevalence of Long COVID ranged from 15% to 42% - each successful nan aforesaid group of patients.

The 5 definitions assessed successful nan study differed by denotation long (4 weeks to 6 months) and number of symptoms considered (9 to 44), resulting successful reported prevalence of Long COVID that ranged from 2.6% to 61.9% successful nan original studies. When these different published definitions were applied to nan INSPIRE cohort, these differences besides created important variety successful who was branded arsenic having Long COVID.

Researchers besides recovered that published definitions had only mean sensitivity –the expertise to correctly place those pinch nan disease- compared to participants' ain self-reported acquisition of Long COVID. While specificity of these definitions was better, nary of nan definitions reached an perfect level to beryllium considered nan optimal recognition test. 

"If each study connected Long COVID uses a different meaning for identifying who has it, nan technological conclusions go harder to comparison crossed studies and whitethorn lead to delays successful our knowing of it," Wisk said. "In nan absence of an nonsubjective measure, for illustration a humor test, aliases a azygous modular for measuring Long COVID, researchers and clinicians will request to determine which meaning is champion suited for their technological mobility and beryllium much transparent astir nan imaginable limitations of utilizing a much vs little restrictive definition."

These differences whitethorn lead researchers and physicians to miss immoderate morganatic Long COVID cases and to explanation immoderate patients arsenic having Long COVID erstwhile they don't, said Dr. Joann Elmore, professor of medicine successful nan section of wide soul medicine and wellness services investigation astatine nan David Geffen School of Medicine astatine UCLA and nan study's elder author.

 "Without a clinically usable and standardized investigation meaning of Long COVID, it's for illustration each study is utilizing a different measuring stick," she said. "That makes it difficult to comparison results, create treatments, aliases way progress. Without a shared definition, we consequence mislabeling patients and misguiding care. This is much than an world debate- it affects existent people." 

Study limitations see imaginable callback bias among participants; subordinate demographics that whitethorn person influenced prevalence were unexamined, and results whitethorn person differed had nan researchers included much than nan 5 published studies successful their analysis.

Study co-authors are Michelle L'Hommedieu and Kate Diaz Roldan of UCLA, and others from nan INSPIRE Group.

INSPIRE was funded by nan National Center of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (75D30120C08008) successful nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.