The experts who will be meeting at the first international conference on ‘long-covid’ intend to begin in Lisbon to outline a set of recommendations for this disease, for which there is still no diagnostic test.
“What we’re going to try to do, the day after the conference, is bring together an even smaller group of foreign colleagues who are going to be here (…) in a small committee to see if we can come up with some guidelines on this situation,” rheumatologist Jaime Branco, one of the organizers of the international meeting that will take place on April 2 and 3 in Lisbon, told Lusa.
The specialist recalled that there is no specific test to diagnose this condition, explaining that this happens by excluding parts: “It is an eminently clinical diagnosis, ruling out other situations or diseases that could cause the same symptoms.”
He pointed out that the link between infections and conditions such as chronic fatigue, mental confusion and difficulty concentrating has existed for a long time, but “has been overlooked”.
Jaime Branco acknowledged that the covid-19 pandemic, which has infected millions of people, has also led to an increase in the number of patients who remain with symptoms that are now included in the so-called post-covid-19 condition.
In 2022, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) published a standard to define guidelines for the diagnosis and clinical approach to the post-covid-19 condition, which can interfere with the quality of life and functional capacity of those affected.
Also known as ‘long covid’, the post-covid-19 condition is defined by the spectrum of symptoms that occur in people with probable or confirmed infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, usually three months after the onset of the acute phase of the infection and lasting at least two months.
According to this standard, the most common symptoms of the post-covid-19 condition include fatigue, dyspnea (shortness of breath), changes in smell and taste, depression and anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction.
To Lusa, Jaime Branco acknowledged that he has patients with physical and cognitive disabilities: “they have alterations in memory, attention, concentration, which are very disabling”.
Regarding the need for a possible national program to respond to these people, he said that “it depends on the number of pandemics we have”.
“What we’re hoping is that they can happen again now, not as often as we used to, but unfortunately, for various reasons, more often,” he said.
If this happens – he continued – “the number of people who will develop this type of post-viral illness (…) will certainly increase”.
“Right now we have this problem and we should take advantage of it to learn from it and to be prepared, not only to help these patients, but also to be able to better help the next cases,” he added.
The first international conference on ‘long-covid’ and its relationship with diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome will take place on April 3 and 4 at the Luso-American Development Foundation in Lisbon.
The meeting aims to raise awareness, clarify concepts, promote understanding and stimulate discussion among health professionals, researchers, policy-makers, patients and community representatives about the clinical manifestations, their management, therapeutic options and health challenges linked to myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome and ‘long covid’.
The organizers point out that the incidence of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome continues to rise globally, especially in the wake of severe acute respiratory syndrome due to coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and ‘long covid’, highlighting the need for proper diagnosis and treatment.
