PEORIA, Ill. – Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has been described by some doctors as “flying a plane before it’s finished being built.”
That’s why studies are getting underway now that are examining the potential long-term effects of COVID, and how to best treat and/or prevent them.
“When you try to understand a disease, you need an adequate representation of all the individuals that it impacts,” said Sarah Stewart de Ramirez, M.D., Associate Dean for Population Health Equity Innovation, University of Illinois College of Medicine. “If you don’t know the sort of factors which influence that disease, it’s hard to understand who you should study.”
The college, the Peoria City/County Health Department, both local hospital systems, and other groups are taking part in a national study on so-called “long COVID” — which could involve any of 200 potential symptoms.
“In my patient populations that I care for every day, including (Sunday) night, I have patients coming to see me because they have prolonged symptoms from complications of COVID — such as a patient I took care of (Sunday) night who was suffering from a pulmonary embolysm,” said John Hafner, M.D., OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center.
If you’re between the ages of 18 and 65, you may be eligible, even if you end up having COVID at some point in the near future. Organizers want people who have had COVID up to 20 days previous. But enrollment will continue for the foreseeable future, meaning if you get COVID later, you can still be in the study.
“This study is a long-term study, where we’ll be following people over many years. The anticipated timeline is approximately four years for this,” said Sarah Donohue, Ph.D., Director of Research Services, U of I College of Medicine. “The study will involve multiple visits to our clinical partners, as well as some surveys about basic health information.”
Donohue says clinical trials and medical procedures may be a part of the study at some point.
If you want to be a part of the “ILLInet RECOVER” study, call (309) 233-0299, or CLICK HERE and enter your information.
There is a separate national study regarding “Long COVID” for those under 18, but that study is not being conducted in Peoria, officials said.
Q&A from UICOMP on the Long COVID Research Study:
Q. Who is eligible?
A. Individuals 18 years old and older may be eligible to participate. Currently, the study seeks people who have had a recent COVID infection and those who have never had a COVID infection.
Q. How do I participate in the research?
A. To enroll, call 309-233-0299 and leave a message. Or, visit www.illinet.org and enter your information. A research team member will then contact you to determine if you are eligible to enroll.
Q. Can children enroll?
A. No, people under 18 are not eligible to participate.
Q. Will it cost me to participate?
A. There is no cost to you to participate. Any study-related procedures will be covered by the study, and you will receive a payment to compensate you for the time spent participating.
Q. Does my vaccination status influence my eligibility to participate?
A. Anyone can participate regardless of vaccination status.
(Q&A from University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria)
