The René Rachou Institute, a unit of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) located in Belo Horizonte, began this Tuesday (2) a study on long Covid, which occurs when Covid-19 symptoms persist after the acute phase of the infection. In some patients, the effects of the disease are felt for several months and even more than a year.
According to the researchers, there are situations in which the sequelae affect quality of life and do not resolve spontaneously, requiring treatment. Cases involving hair loss, tiredness, weakness, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, thrombosis, diabetes, changes in blood pressure, among other manifestations, are mentioned.
The study, conducted in partnership with the Municipal Health Department of Belo Horizonte and the Ministry of Health, was called Fiocruz Vita Monitoring. The objective is to characterize the immunological and hematological profile of patients with long Covid, checking changes in the immune system, blood and different organs and tissues. The researchers intend to evaluate the possible relationships between the disease and the changes detected.
Residents of Belo Horizonte over 18 years of age, who have long Covid, can volunteer to participate in the study by filling out a form online, which takes approximately five minutes. Children and adolescents between 5 and 17 years old can also take part in the research. In this case, registration must be carried out by the legal guardian.
After filling out the form, you must wait for contact from the Fiocruz team, who will inform you about the next steps. Study participants will be cared for by a clinical team who will assess their health condition. If the diagnosis of long Covid is confirmed and the need for treatment is confirmed, the patient will be directed to follow-up by a multidisciplinary team within the scope of the Unified Health System (SUS).
The researchers will monitor this process and, over the course of 18 months, will hold five face-to-face meetings with the participants. They assess that there are advances in understanding long Covid, but that studies like this are important to expand and deepen knowledge.
