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What is the underlying pathological process causing longer term symptoms in adults? What treatment options are effective?

Research Question: (RQ99):

What is the underlying pathological process causing longer term symptoms in adults? What treatment options are effective?

Submitter:

Jenny Judge, Clinician

Submission Date:

30/05/2020

Research Question Narrative:

There is a cohort of COVID-19 patients with illness not of the severity to warrant ITU admission but are experiencing prolonged symptoms. I am one of these patients and increasing numbers of people are looking for information/treatment options. GPs are reporting having contact with community patients who are not getting better and not being able to return to normal activity.

I’ve been reading reports on the multisystem inflammatory disease affecting children and young adults and the symptoms seem to be very similar. My hypothesis is that adults are also experiencing a multisystem inflammatory disease that while not causing them to need critical care, is leaving them debilitated and for which the treatment options and prognosis are not known.

I would be grateful to see this being investigated (there are likely many willing research subjects who have been sick for 2-3 months or longer; I’m entering my 12th week)

Intended Research Outcomes:

Non critical care, continuing significant morbidity

SAGE Priority Area:

Direct Impact, Indirect Impact - socioeconomic factors, Indirect Impact - healthcare pressures

Prioritisation Score:

8.5

Prioritisation Rounds:

2

Data Sourcing Requirements:

Primary care, GP practices could be surveyed to estimate the size of the issue whilst direct clinical research is started to investigate patients who have remained symptomatic, using a symptom questionnaire and any investigations/inflammatory markers identified as being as being helpful in the assessment of children with this form of the illness.
Second phase following on from this would be to investigate treatment options.

No additional support required.

Emerging Insights:

-06/07/2020: There is a cohort of COVID-19 patients with illness not of the severity to warrant ITU admission but are experiencing prolonged symptoms. Increasing numbers of people are looking for information/treatment options. GPs are reporting having contact with community patients who are not getting better and not being able to return to normal activity.

There have been reports on the multisystem inflammatory disease affecting children and young adults and the symptoms seem to be very similar. The hypothesis is that adults are also experiencing a multisystem inflammatory disease that while not causing them to need critical care, is leaving them debilitated and for which the treatment options and prognosis are not known. Summary from Dr Jake Suett covers the issues here.
Original content: https://web.www.healthdatagateway.org/project/48093316637073220