In JAMA recently, the topic of the management of Long COVID is debated (Landhuis, 2023). This is the advice offered.
Believe the patient
“Say it out loud. They need to hear it,” an expert said of patients with long COVID symptoms, who are often not believed. If their physician says, “‘I believe you, and I will work with you to try to make you better even though I know very little about this,’ stress levels go down.”
Go beyond symptoms
Physicians are accustomed to checking off symptoms, but it’s also important to ask, “’How often do these occur?’ and ‘How do they affect your ability to carry out normal daily activities?’” Bateman said. “When you can’t perform physically and cognitively, it starts to really be disabling.”
Address fatigue
“If patients stop overexerting themselves, they start to feel better. It’s as simple as that,” Brode said. Physicians should discuss with patients “what they can honestly do in their daily activities.”
Look to familiar conditions
Long COVID can share symptoms with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome, dysautonomia, and mast cell activation syndrome. Approaches to managing these conditions can help some patients with long COVID. For example, POTS can be alleviated with fluids, compression garments, and graded horizontal exercise.
Physicians of all types,
“should be willing to think outside the box and use their medical training to provide sensible, supportive care”.
