The absence of a clear and homogeneous definition, beyond professional consensus, and the lack of precision in clinical characterization, makes epidemiological characterization and the development of effective treatments against persistent covid difficult. The project will be possible thanks to the support and financing of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), whose last call for Strategic Action in Health (AES 2024) was attended. REiCOP successfully, competing with important projects at the national level.
The good news was announced during the celebration of the Day Lingering COVID: Seeking answers to unmet needs organized on the occasion of the second anniversary of this Network promoted by the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), which currently brings together 68 scientific and professional entities, 10 patient groups and more than 300 members and experts in their personal capacity.
This ambitious Research project on persistent covid was proposed by REiCOP and presented to the ISCIII call from the Lucus Augusti Hospital of Lugo (HULA) through the Health Research Institute Foundation (FIDIS) of Santiago de Compostela and Lugo.
In addition to developing a definition of persistent covid, the project aims to define diagnostic criteria and the different clinical and biological profiles of the affected people, and identify risk factors, which will allow progress in the prediction of its development, in the personalization of its approach, and determine potential responses to treatment.
The project has the support of patient groups, who participate in all phases of the study, with a particularly relevant role in recruitment and the creation of a clinical and genetic database.
Clinical record of patients
The main objective of this project is to design and validate a supervised probabilistic model using a database from a clinical registry of patients throughout the national territory to develop a definition of persistent covid solidly based on clinical characterization through diagnostic algorithms, in a similar way to what happens in other diseases.
“The results will not only contribute to the development of prevention strategies and effective treatments against persistent COVID, but will also have an impact on improving the care and quality of life of affected people and the flow of care in our health system,” as indicated by the president of REiCOP, Dr. Pilar Rodríguez Ledo.
second anniversary
To celebrate its two years of existence, the Conference of the Spanish Research Network on persistent covid has brought together professionals, patients and researchers from REiCOP today at the SEMG headquarters in Madrid in a scientific meeting that in the morning session has scheduled two discussion tables.
The first of them was dedicated to the holistic approach to the disease, from diagnosis to treatment, from the points of view of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Physiotherapy and Occupational Health. The second table focused on the areas of knowledge in the approach to persistent COVID, specifically Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology, Mental Health and Laboratory Medicine. Next, there was an interesting forum for reflection that, coordinated by those affected themselves, and after inviting patients, political representatives and professionals to participate, debated the needs and future challenges of persistent COVID.
In the afternoon session, researchers from different institutions will present research projects on this pathology and at the closing, REiCOP will once again have the prestigious Dr. Sonia Villapol, from the Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute, who will give an interesting talk on the state of persistent COVID research today.
Meeting point to promote scientific production
The Day’Lingering COVID: Seeking answers to unmet needs‘ “It is a necessary meeting point, a day dedicated to scientific production with the focus on patients and their needs, with the interaction between all the agents who must understand and manage their health care.”
Likewise, it represents a “commitment to a more accessible and equitable future for those affected that wishes to contribute scientific and human value to the clinical management of this pathology that has already surpassed a trajectory of more than four years and still harbors few lights and too many shadows.” ”, in the words of the president of REiCOP.
