“Long Covid” was first used by Elisa Perego as a Twitter hashtag in May to describe her own experience of a multiphasic, cyclical condition that differed in time course and symptomatology from the bi-phasic pathway discussed in early scientific papers, which focused on hospitalized patients. Just three months later, following intense advocacy by patients across the world, this patient made term has been taken up by powerful actors, including the World Health Organization. Politicians have used it too: Matt Hancock, UK health secretary, recently explained to a parliamentary committee that “the impact of long covid can be really debilitating for a long period of time.”...
‘As patients and professionals, we see “Long Covid” as better able to navigate the socio-political, as well as clinical and public health challenges, posed by the pandemic in the coming months, for a number of reasons: (1) Long Covid acknowledges that cause and disease course are as yet unknown (2) Long Covid makes clear that “mild” covid-19 is not necessarily mild (3) Long Covid avoids “chronic,” “post” and “syndrome” (4)Long Covid draws attention to morbidity (5) Long Covid centres disabled people.
Read here (BMJ Opinion, Oct 1, 2020)
