Release Date: July 26, 2022 | Run Time: 45:41 | Download the transcript
More than two years into the pandemic, life continues to be challenging and unpredictable for those dealing with the lasting symptoms of what has come to be known as long COVID.
But just how prevalent, worrisome and enduring are the brain-related symptoms of this health issue, such as headaches, brain fog and memory issues? And how do we know what's caused by the virus, and what could be the result of living through stressful and unprecedented times?
In the latest episode of Your Complex Brain, host Heather Sherman explores what scientists and physicians are learning about how to identify, diagnose and treat long COVID.
"When I think about COVID and the impact it's had on my family and my life, it's been life changing," says Susie Goulding, who first contracted COVID-19 just as the pandemic began more than two years ago, and who continues to live with the effects of the virus. Susie started an online support group, to help others living with long Covid find support and resources. That group now has 17,000+ members.
"To me, the most striking feature of long COVID is seeing the degree of deficit that a lot of these people present with," says Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, an Internal Medicine & Infectious Diseases Specialist at UHN.
And while there's currently no cure for long COVID, effective therapies are emerging.
"We cannot treat long COVID, but we can sometimes treat the symptoms from long COVID," says Dr. Carmela Tartaglia, a Cognitive Neurologist and Clinician Investigator with Krembil Brain Institute. "Sometimes we can get people back to some semblance of their previous self. I tell people, think of your brain like these little gears and COVID has stopped one gear, or all of the gears. But, sometimes, just by getting one gear going, you can actually entrain the other ones."
Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.
Special thanks to Susie Goulding for sharing her story.
Dr. Carmela Tartaglia is a Cognitive Neurologist and Clinician Investigator with Krembil Brain Institute. Dr. Tartaglia is also co-Director of UHN's Memory Clinic. She is currently involved in a number of studies looking at the cognitive and neuropsychiatric impact of long COVID on patients, as well as sex and gender differences in long COVID.
Dr. Angela Cheung is an Internal Medicine Specialist and a Senior Scientist with the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, at UHN. Dr. Cheung is the co-Lead Investigator of the Canadian COVID-19 Prospective Cohort Study (CANCOV), which is designed to better understand the short and long-term outcomes for patients with long COVID, and their caregivers.
Dr. Abdu Sharkawy is an Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Specialist at UHN. Under the mentorship and support of Dr. Cheung, he has become an active and dedicated consultant to UHN's Long Covid Clinic. Dr. Sharkawy is also a trusted public figure who is regularly called upon by media, to comment on the latest COVID-19-related news and information.
Susie Goulding is the Founder of COVID Long-Haulers Support Group Canada, which is the largest Canadian online community for COVID-19 survivors and their families with 17,000+ members. The group's mandate is to connect people with support, the latest information, and access to participate in research studies happening across the globe.
Bonus Content: Hear more from Susie.
Susie Goulding | Run Time: 18:28 | Download the transcript
