SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Researchers are still unraveling the mysteries of long COVID and how it can be treated.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
A UCSF study found that unfortunately Paxlovid did not prevent the condition, which can cause fatigue and muscle pain. UCSF expert Dr. Matthew Durstenfeld joined Alice Wertz on KCBS Radio’s “As Prescribed” to discuss the findings and what they mean for future research.
“We were very interested in whether Paxlovid could be a preventive strategy for people who don’t necessarily need to take it because they’re at risk of severe disease. For example, if they’re immunocompromised or unvaccinated… but whether… the rest of us could take Paxlovid to prevent long COVID,” he said.
They analyzed a study with over 100,000 participants, comparing long COVID rates. Per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long COVID covers a broad range of long-term effects stemming from COVID-19 infections. Symptoms can include tiredness, respiratory and heart symptoms, neurological symptoms, digestive symptoms,
“Unfortunately, we found that taking Paxlovid didn’t reduce the risk of having long COVID later on,” said Durstenfeld.
However, they did find some encouraging information. It seems like rebound COVID-19 infections – which are very common – aren’t associated with developing long COVID. They also confirmed that Paxlovid does work to prevent severe COVID-19 infections.
“I think the biggest takeaway is really that in a condition that really can be life changing long COVID, we still don’t have any treatments,” he said. “And, there’s… an urgent need for scientists to try to figure out and have the support and resources to do that.”
Last year, UCSF researchers also joined “As Prescribed” to talk about holistic approaches to dealing with long COVID symptoms.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Listen to this week’s “As Prescribed” to learn more. You can also listen to last week’s episode to learn about research into the biology of autism here.