Long covid breakthrough in Leeds as patients report success in pioneering study

Up to two million people in the UK suffer from the post virus syndrome, which can cause dehabilitating exhaustion, brain fog and breathlessness.

Thirty one people took part in a research project based at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust and evaluated by scientists at the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University.

They were encouraged to increase their physical activity levels gradually.

Before the trial began, patients were experiencing on average three “crashes” a week of their symptoms where they were left physically, emotionally or cognitively exhausted after mild physical or mental exertion, but that reduced to just one “crash” a week by the end of the programme.

Writing in the Journal of Medical Virology, the research team said the programme, which involves a supervised increase in physical activity, has the potential to be an effective treatment option.

Dr Manoj Sivan, associate clinical professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, said: “Long COVID affects around two million people in the UK and it has an impact on their quality of life and in some cases, their ability to work. It is distressing and disabling.

“Post-exertional malaise or post-exertional symptom exacerbation or simply "crashes", as described by patients, is a defining and important symptom of long COVID.

“When patients get a crash, they experience feelings of complete exhaustion and wipe out and are unable to resume activities for hours or sometimes days.

“The findings of this research are exciting because this is the first time that crashing episodes have been used as a marker for the condition and a structured pacing programme has now been shown to substantially reduce symptoms and improve quality of life."

On average, patients on the trial had been experiencing long COVID for around 17 monthsm, suffering from a range of symptoms along with fatigue, including brain fog, breathlessness, headache and palpitations.

The patients followed a gradual return to physical activity programme called the World Health Organisation (WHO) CR-10 Borg pacing protocol, which took them through five levels of activity.

The first phase was a preparation for return to activity and involved breathing exercises and gentle stretching. The fifth phase involved activities the patients were doing before they were ill such as regular exercise or sports.

Elizabeth Bycroft, 52, from Leeds, took part in the study and said: “I used to walk miles with my dogs, and attend fitness classes, and I would normally run up the stairs. After covid, all that all stopped.

"I am still unable to do some I the things I used to do pre-COVID. But I can go out walking again although I do still get breathless at times. And there are days when I feel completely exhausted, but those days are becoming fewer and fewer.”