<
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/11/13/1211989263/pain-fatigue-brain-fog-long-covid-neurological-effects>
'Michelle Wilson got COVID three years ago. She's still waiting for her brain
and nervous system to recover.
Wilson's memory is spotty, she's frequently in pain, and even a short walk
leaves her exhausted.
"I actually bought a cane that turns into a seat so I can go to the botanical
garden," she says.
It's a big change for Wilson, 66, who had worked as a nurse at Barnes-Jewish
Hospital in St. Louis. But after years of waiting to get better, she says she's
realized something:
"This might be as good as it gets."
It's a story shared by a growing number of COVID "long-haulers" — those
patients who suffer from persistent symptoms long after the initial infection
has passed. Many of those symptoms, experts say, appear to be tied to COVID's
effects on the brain and nervous system.
Government surveys suggest that millions of people in the U.S. are living with
neurological symptoms linked to long COVID. Many, like Wilson, were infected
before vaccines became available.
"It's a public health crisis," says Dr. Robyn Klein, who directs the Center for
Neuroimmunology and Infectious Diseases at Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis.
"There are a lot of people suffering and those people need treatment
yesterday," says Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, who holds positions at both Washington
University and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.
But treatment remains a distant promise.'
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: November 16, 2023
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-92977565
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
