- Low-dose prednisolone may temporarily reduce some “symptom severity” of Long COVID, according to a new study in eClinicalMedicine. German researchers evaluated the drug, a corticosteroid that reduces inflammation and is used to treat a broad range of conditions, alongside some B vitamins, in the phase 3 clinical trial. The study included over 300 people with Long COVID who took prednisolone, B vitamins, a combination of the two, or a placebo, for 28 days. They found that prednisolone reduced the severity of some symptoms in the short term, as measured by participant surveys. “However, the effect did not reach the prespecified threshold for clinical relevance,” the authors concluded, noting that “further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of prednisolone and to determine the optimal dose and treatment duration while balancing benefits against longer-term adverse effects.”
- A new study confirmed that Long COVID is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. Swedish researchers conducted a longitudinal population-based study using electronic health records from over 1.2 million adults aged 18–65, identifying that around 1% had a Long COVID diagnosis using the ICD-10 code (which often significantly undercounts Long COVID). During follow-up records over five years, people with Long COVID had a 14% higher risk of hypertension, compared to people without the disease. The researchers also found higher hypertension in men with Long COVID, compared to women. “Our findings indicate that Long COVID is associated with persistent vascular and autonomic dysregulation extending well beyond acute infection,” the authors concluded.
- The National Institute of Health (NIH)’s RECOVER program recently posted early results from their controversial LC-ENERGIZE trial on clinicaltrials.gov. The partial results, which have not been analyzed, peer-reviewed, or published, show a part of the trial that compared pacing, or an activity management strategy, to usual care that included education on post-exertional malaise (PEM). Another section of of LC-ENERGIZE assessed whether exercise was an effective treatment for Long COVID, despite significant pushback from many people with the disease. Those results have not been posted.
