L’ALEIXAR (TARRAGONA), Spain – Mamerto Moreno’s life took a sharp turn in December 2021, leaving him unable to return to his nearly two-decade career as a nursing assistant. Despite contracting coronavirus previously,this infection felt different,relentlessly advancing through his body.He now uses an electric wheelchair and takes over twenty medications daily,a stark contrast to his previous active life.
Persisten COVID affects an estimated 400 million globally, with nearly a quarter of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals in Spain experiencing it.
moreno, now 42, is part of the Spanish Research Network in Persistent Covid (Reicop). He and others like Delphine Crespo, 52, president of Long Covid Aragón, are advocating for better understanding and treatment of this post-viral syndrome. Crespo, who contracted the virus in March 2020, experienced chronic fatigue, muscle pain, and a phantom sense of smell. Her symptoms are more manageable than Moreno’s, but the fear of worsening health remains constant.
The Challenge of Defining Persistent COVID
A notable hurdle in addressing persistent COVID is the lack of a universally agreed-upon definition. A recent study in JAMA Network open, analyzing data from 4,700 individuals, revealed that prevalence estimates could swing dramatically between 15% and 42% depending on the definition used.
“Using different definitions significantly affects the estimates of its prevalence,” stated Lauren Risk, the study’s led author and a professor at the David Geffen Faculty of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). the research team examined five distinct definitions from studies in the U.S., United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, and Puerto Rico to capture geographical and temporal diversity.
Dr. Pilar Rodríguez Ledo, president of Reicop, commented that this variability reflects the real-world struggles faced by clinicians. “We do not have a definition based on an objective test, which would be ideal,” she noted. “Being supported by consensus, they vary, which generates little consistent results.”
“I call it a
silent pandemic,” says Dr. Rodríguez Ledo, emphasizing the invisible nature of the condition and the challenges in quantifying its impact. “It’s a disease that leaves you disabled, but you don’t look sick.”
To address this critical gap, researchers are initiating new research, financed by the Carlos III Health Institute, to develop a probabilistic definition. This tool aims to estimate the likelihood of having persistent COVID by combining symptoms and clinical variables,similar to diagnostic approaches for conditions like heart failure or rheumatoid arthritis.
This research, still in the data collection phase, intends to leverage artificial intelligence and neural networks to analyze a wider array of variables and deepen the understanding of this complex condition.
Two Lives transformed by persistent COVID
Mamerto Moreno and Delphine crespo represent the growing population grappling with persistent COVID, a condition still lacking a definitive treatment or cure. Moreno, once sociable and fond of nature and sports, now finds himself confined, unable to make plans or maintain a stable social life. “I can’t foresee anything. Today I’m fine, I can’t even get up the phone to warn,” he shared, noting the profound impact on his mental health and self-perception. He describes his physical state as being “trapped in the body of an 80-year-old person.”
Moreno’s husband, Raúl piesta, plays a crucial role in his care, assisting with daily tasks and medication management.Moreno finds particular solace in his primary care physician, whom he describes as empathetic and understanding. While Crespo strives for a semblance of normalcy, Moreno’s life has been irrevocably altered, leaving him feeling “forgotten” despite the ongoing nature of his illness.
A recent ICU admission highlights the severity of Moreno’s condition. he experienced compartmental syndrome in his arm, a condition where inflamed tissues restrict blood flow. His husband recounted that without prompt medical attention, Moreno could have lost his arm. Prior to this, in February, he suffered a thrombosis in the same limb that later affected his lung.
