iRadio in the Afternoon has been speaking to Dr. Andrew Kunzmann about Long COVID - what it is and how it can affect people.
(Source: Pixabay)An epidemiologist says it's important to highlight how much of an impact Long COVID can have on people who get it.
Dr. Andrew Kunzmann is an epidemiologist at the Centre of Public Health at Queen's University Belfast, and part of the Independent Scientific Advocacy Group.
He's been speaking on iRadio in the Afternoon's "Simplified" about the condition, which he says can have cause different problems for different people.
"Long COVID would be the signs and symptoms of COVID that persist or develop more than four weeks after the onset of the initial illness.
"Sometimes it will be things like brain fog, other times it'll be fatigue. It could be things like loss of smell, or it could even be more serious complications such as diabetes, respiratory failure or a range of cardiovascular problems."
Andrew says there is better research in the UK about how many people are affected, but the numbers in Ireland aren't as clear.
He also admits that it is quite difficult to treat Long COVID:
"I think the treatment and management of the long-term effects will be even more difficult because at the moment we don't know exactly what's causing the problems, and the causes for each individual will be different."
Andrew says it's important to listen to the experiences of people who have had the condition.
"They very often report that after an exercise bout, or after nipping to the shops, or even something quite mild, it can lead to a relapse in symptoms.
"It's about listening to whatever the advice is at the time, but taking it easy is probably one of the bits of advice that people living with it give.
There are support groups that are being set up, like COVID Cases Ireland, that will be able to give more tailored advice, and for people to be able to say what has and hasn't worked for them."
You can listen to the full Simplified here:
