The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us, and with vaccines starting to roll out, I think we’re all looking forward to getting past it. But some people who have had COVID-19, getting past it hasn’t been easy. In this Heartbeat, we talk with infectious disease expert, Dr. Larissa May, about “Long haul COVID”, or “Long COVID” – a syndrome that affects about 10% of people who have had COVID-19.

Have you had long-haul COVID? We’d like to know how it affected you and what you’ve don’t to get through it. Share your story with us on social media, @empulsepodcast, or through our website, ucdavisem.com. And please pass the word along to your friends and colleagues!

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Hosts:

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guest:

Dr. Larissa May, Professor of Emergency Medicine with a Masters in Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Director of Emergency Department Antibiotic Stewardship at UC Davis.

Resources:

Information and resources for COVID-19 long-haulers at UC Davis

LongCOVID.org support, information and resources (UK based)

The Body Politic COVID-19 support group

Rubin R. As Their Numbers Grow, COVID-19 “Long Haulers” Stump Experts. JAMA. 2020 Sep 23. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.17709. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32965460.

Townsend L, Dowds J, O’Brien K, Sheill G, Dyer AH, O’Kelly B, Hynes JP, Mooney A, Dunne J, Ni Cheallaigh C, O’Farrelly C, Bourke NM, Conlon N, Martin-Loeches I, Bergin C, Nadarajan P, Bannan C. Persistent Poor Health Post-COVID-19 Is Not Associated with Respiratory Complications or Initial Disease Severity. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2021 Jan 8. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202009-1175OC. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33413026.

Lehner, G.F., Klein, S.J., Zoller, H. et al. Correlation of interleukin-6 with Epstein–Barr virus levels in COVID-19. Crit Care 24, 657 (2020).

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Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Audio Productions for audio production services.