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LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is supporting 15 new studies on the treatment and diagnosis of ‘long COVID’, a disease that can include dozens of symptoms and last for months after a first episode of COVID-19 infection.
The projects, which will benefit from nearly 20 million pounds ($ 27.54 million) in government funding, will focus on better understanding the disease, identifying effective treatments, and how best to care for those in need. suffer from it.
People with long-lasting COVID can exhibit symptoms ranging from fatigue and brain fog to shortness of breath and organ damage, experts said.
“This body of research will bring much needed hope to people with long-term health issues after COVID-19,” said Nick Lemoine, chair of the COVID funding committee at the National Institute for Health Research.
A study, at University College London, will recruit more than 4,500 people with long-term COVID to test the effectiveness of existing drugs as treatments over three months to see the impact on symptoms, mental health and ability to return to work.
He will also consider whether MRIs can be used to diagnose organ damage.
Another study from Cardiff University will examine whether the disease is caused by overactive or impaired immune responses, while research in Leeds, Oxford and Glasgow will examine the best treatment regimen, the causes of shortness of breath and the impact of obesity in people with long-term COVID, respectively.
The government has already announced £ 100million for services to support people with long-standing COVID, with 80 assessment services open in England so far.
“This new research is absolutely essential to improve diagnosis and treatment and will change the lives of those struggling with the long-term symptoms of the virus,” said Minister of Health Sajid Javid.
($ 1 = 0.7261 pounds)
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Helen Popper)
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