The follow-up of a Covid-19 patient in the pneumology department of Larrey, at the Toulouse University Hospital.

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Tristan Reynaud / SIPA

  • While the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic is affecting France, patients affected during the first wave still have symptoms months later.

  • Loss of smell, severe fatigue or even lung problems are some of the symptoms.

  • To better identify these “long Covid” and help them, the “All Covid Partners” association, which brings together doctors and patients, is launching a large participatory survey.

Today, the resuscitation services of many hospitals in France are seeing an influx of victims of Covid-19.

For the most part, these patients will be okay.

But some will have consequences.

Some patients affected during the first wave, and who sometimes did not have a serious form, still find themselves today with persistent pulmonary or neurological problems.

Several months later, others still cannot differentiate the smell of fish from that of chocolate.

Enough to raise many questions among patients, their families, but also caregivers sometimes disconcerted about the answers to be provided.

Symptoms which are in some cases supported by the results of scanners and other analyzes, and for which practitioners sometimes have trouble identifying the cause.

Which often tends to weigh on morale.

To better understand this phenomenon, an association called "All Covid Partners" was created in Toulouse and brings together doctors, patients, but also researchers from all over France, not always specialized in medicine.

Investigation and discussion with patients

It has just launched an online questionnaire with those we call the “long Covid”.

"Today we are faced with something nebulous, for the majority of diseases we have a hundred years of hindsight, there we have less than a year and this has affected millions of people", indicates Louis Delamarre , anesthesiologist at Toulouse University Hospital and member of the association's scientific committee.

This participatory survey, a sort of collection of all post-Covid ailments, should make it possible to codify, to see what the recurring symptoms are over time, but also "to tell patients" you are not all alone "", insists the practitioner.

“The number one goal is for people to understand what they have to know what they need, then we want to create a web page for the general public to present those results, to make them accessible.

The idea is to collaborate because it is not a disease that we are going to solve only between doctors, we still have a lot of things to learn ”, continues Louis Delamarre who, with other doctors of the association , had participated in the drafting of the government site mesconseilscovid.fr.

The survey should unveil its first results by the end of the year.

But it will continue in the long term, some of these “long Covid” now having chronic diseases.

Weekly questionnaires are therefore planned to see the evolution of symptoms, just like a questionnaire on the psychological consequences, and often social, that the patient experiences.

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  • Covid 19

  • epidemic

  • Coronavirus

  • Health

  • Toulouse