EPILOC

Post-COVID-19 Erkrankungen – Charakterisierung eines neuen Krankheitsbildes und Entwicklung einer Grundlage für therapeuti-sche Interventionen

01/08/2021 to 31/07/2022

Persistent symptoms after COVID-19 ("Long-Covid ") in the sense of a fatigue syndrome with partly residual lesions in the cardiovascular and pulmonary areas and/or neurocognitive impairments (concentration, attention, memory) seem to be frequent in convalescence after severe acute COVID-19 disease, but are also observed after initially mild disease. The exact frequency of actual longer-term (>6 months) impairments with relevance to quality of life and work capacity is unknown. Variations in frequency are extreme, ranging from <10% to >50%. However, in almost all previous studies on the frequency of the syndrome, the complaints are also not medically validated. Prognoses on spontaneous regression or even efficacy of (non-specific) rehabilitation measures or even, for example, a therapeutic vaccination in this case are currently not possible.
EPILOC proceeds in two phases: In phase 1 (July-September), about 50,000 SARS-CoV-2 infected persons (18-65 years old) from the period October 2020 to March 2021 (acute infection i.e. >6 months ago) will be invited to participate in a questionnaire survey (from the regions around the university hospitals FR, HD, TÜ and UL) and will be asked about current complaints and limitations - phase 1 should and can quickly provide population-based data.
In phase 2a (October to February) - after evaluation of the questionnaires - "cases" of Long-Covid suspicion are defined (persistent complaint complexes WITH restrictions of quality of life and/or ability to work), of which about 1,000 are promptly comprehensively followed up in the university hospitals - incl. performance tests (e.g. lung function tests not only at rest, but also under stress), psychological tests, laboratory tests. In addition, control subjects without evidence of Long-Covid will be invited from the questionnaire population to evaluate the actual limitations of the "cases" in comparison to post-covid patients without alleged Long-Covid symptoms and to detect possible biomedical abnormalities as potential risk factors.
In Phase 2b (May to July), selected Long-Covid patients ("cases") will be invited again for an overnight examination (question: prognosis of symptoms depending on biomedical, social and also therapeutic factors). Phase 2 aims to and can thus for the first time provide clinically validated data on Long-Covid and thus evaluate and also, if necessary, correct the epidemiology and prognosis estimates. In phase 2, biomaterials will continue to be preserved, if patients/subjects agree, in order to be able to test further hypotheses on biological risk factors.