Scientists explore why some COVID long-haulers develop multiple health issues

Scientists explore why some COVID long-haulers develop multiple health issues

Transcript¹

NIH scientists are looking for people to take part in a study on long-COVID. They want to find out why some people with lingering symptoms get better, and others end up with chronic² health problems.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health are now recruiting about 20,000 people as part of an ambitious study to get to the bottom of long COVID. They're looking at more than just fatigue³ and brain fog in the weeks after an infection. They want to know why some long haulers go on to develop brain or heart problems, metabolic⁴ disorders⁵, even autoimmune conditions. NPR's Allison Aubrey joins us to discuss. Allison, we've been hearing about long COVID since early in the pandemic. Two years on, have most people improved or maybe even recovered from these lingering symptoms?

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE⁶: Good morning, A. Well, there's some data to show that most people who were sick enough to be hospitalized with COVID had not fully⁷ recovered one year out. That's concerning but not completely surprising given many of these patients were older, had underlying⁸ conditions. But most people don't fall into this category, A. Many who experience lingering symptoms after COVID do go on to make a full recovery. Whether it's most is something this NIH study can help determine. And one of the doctors leading it, Dr. Stuart Katz of NYU, he knows firsthand, A, the uncertainty⁹, the fear that lingering symptoms can bring. He got COVID in late 2020 and was very spooked by what happened next.

STUART KATZ: I have to walk two flights of stairs from my apartment to the street level. And I've been doing that every day for years. It's never a problem. I'm a cyclist. I'm in good shape (laughter). I've - that's never been, you know, an effort. But after COVID, every time I walk those steps, I would get to the top. And I'd be out of breath. And my heart rate would be going, like, 120 beats a minute.

AUBREY: And this went on for several months. So he was very concerned. His COVID infection hadn't been very severe. So he was surprised to be hit so hard with these post-viral symptoms.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. And that he's in good shape and he's out of breath, that is terrifying. So one of the doctors leading the big NIH study ended up with long COVID himself.

AUBREY: That's right.

MART?NEZ: Was he able to keep up with his work?

AUBREY: You know, he told me, for several months, it was really tough because he was feeling a lot of exhaustion¹⁰.

KATZ: So I would find that I would have to, you know, take a break in the mid-morning and, like, even take a nap and then maybe take another break in mid-afternoon and take another nap.

AUBREY: Now, very gradually, he got his energy back. By about nine months out, he was still having an occasional racing¹¹ heart. But now, thankfully, he tells me he is completely better. He has no lingering symptoms.

KATZ: In terms of my day-to-day sense of health, I do feel like I'm back to my pre-COVID baseline.

MART?NEZ: All right. So that's good news. But, Allison, is his experience typical that eventually symptoms just go away?

AUBREY: For many people, yes. There are lots of stories of people who make a full recovery. But for some, the symptoms persist. And that's what this NIH study is trying to better understand. Why do a small fraction of people end up with a whole range of what can be chronic conditions after COVID, everything from reports of the onset¹² of diabetes¹³, autoimmune diseases, higher risks of neurological and heart issues after COVID? A recent study found an increased incident of cardiovascular events, including clots¹⁴ and arrhythmias among people who had COVID.

KATZ: The bottom line is that we have this huge number of Americans that were infected by COVID. And even if just a small percentage wind up with these long COVID syndromes¹⁵, it's a lot of people. And this is really devastating¹⁷ their lives. So we have a whole spectrum¹⁸. And you want to be able to help them.

MART?NEZ: And I know you've been talking to people who fall into this category. What can you tell us?

AUBREY: Well, I'm going to focus on one woman in particular because she really represents, I'd say, the frustrations¹⁹ of a lot of people with persistent²⁰ symptoms. Over the last year or so, I've been talking to Jennifer Minhas. She's a nurse. She lives in San Diego. She's 55. She got COVID early in the pandemic and ended up with a lot of brain fog, fatigue, circulation issues, a racing heart, a whole range of problems. She had to stop working since being a nurse is so physically²¹ demanding.

JENNIFER MINHAS: Because it's fast-paced, constantly on your feet with competing demands on your attention, lots of multitasking. I still have trouble with some of those things. And beyond that, I still get chest pain. And I have neuropathy in my hands. So it's really hard to do even basic tasks sometimes.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. It sounds like her condition has been disabling. Was she healthy before COVID?

AUBREY: Yes. Before COVID, Minhas was very active. She played tennis, went to the gym. But now it's been nearly two years. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called POTS, suggesting the virus set off some kind of change in her immune system. But she says the diagnosis²² doesn't seem to explain all of her symptoms. She says the neuropathy in her hands has gotten worse.

MINHAS: It's tingling²³. It's numbness²⁴. It's pain in the joints²⁵. It's pain outside of the joints. And it can rapidly progress into so much pain that I can't even touch the sheets. I can't touch my steering²⁶ wheel of my car.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. It sounds like she's still struggling.

AUBREY: You know, the way she describes it is that she has made some progress. She's able to go out for walks, to be social with friends. But she has persistent symptoms that she's constantly trying to manage. She's seen many different doctors. They're still trying to get to the bottom of it. And some have pointed²⁷ to the overlap²⁸ with chronic fatigue syndrome¹⁶, which is another syndrome that has never fully been explained.

MINHAS: I had fatigue for the first, say, 11 months. So there is definitely some overlap. And it's really important to look at all of these syndromes because they haven't been studied in the past as much as they should have been. We're going to have more viruses in the future, I think, that will also be causing post-viral issues. So it's worth the time to get this right now.

AUBREY: So this is one of the reasons why all of this research on long COVID is so important, including this nearly half-billion-dollar NIH study. The study is called RECOVER. Researchers are now aiming to enroll²⁹ participants all over the country. People can check it out at recovercovid.org for more information on the study.

MART?NEZ: NPR's Allison Aubrey, thanks a lot.

AUBREY: Thank you, A.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARMS AND SLEEPERS' "UNSHIELD")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

3 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

4 metabolic   

adj.新陈代谢的

参考例句：

• Impressive metabolic alternations have been undergone during embryogenesis.在胚胎发生期间经历了深刻的代谢变化。
• A number of intoxicants are associated with metabolic acidosis.许多毒性物质可引起代谢性酸中毒。

5 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

9 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

10 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

11 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

12 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

13 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

14 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 syndromes   

n.综合征( syndrome的名词复数 )；（某种条件下有共同特征的）一系列表现（事件、举动等）

参考例句：

• Other agents can cause similar syndromes. 其它病原也可引起相似的综合症。 来自辞典例句
• They have pointed out the similarities of the sprue syndromes in man and TGE. 他们强调了人的鹅口疮综合症和TGE的共同点。 来自辞典例句

16 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

17 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

18 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

19 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

20 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

21 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

22 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

23 tingling   

v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 numbness   

n.无感觉，麻木，惊呆

参考例句：

• She was fighting off the numbness of frostbite. 她在竭力摆脱冻僵的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sometimes they stay dead, causing' only numbness. 有时，它们没有任何反应，只会造成麻木。 来自时文部分

25 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

26 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

27 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

28 overlap   

v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠

参考例句：

• The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。
• Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

29 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。