Boston hospitals look for participants for nationwide study of long COVID

Six Boston-area hospitals and healthcare centers have joined a nationwide initiative to study long COVID — a COVID-19 side effect where patients have lingering symptoms for months or even years after being infected — but they need your help.

Long COVID can include many symptoms, including brain fog, fatigue, shortness of breath. While scientists understand some things about long COVID, there is still much to be learned.

The collaborative includes Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, Cambridge Health Alliance, Boston Medical Center, and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

Together, the hospitals have named the collaborative the Greater Boston COVID Recovery Cohort.

The cohort says it will be trying to answer questions such as:

1. What does recovery from a COVID-19 infection look like among different groups?
2. How many people continue to have symptoms after acute infection?
3. How many people develop new symptoms after acute infection?
4. What causes these health effects?
5. Why do some people develop these health effects while others do not?
6. Does COVID-19 infection trigger changes in the body that increase the risk of other conditions, such as chronic lung, heart, or brain disorders?

Over the next year, the cohort is hoping to enroll more than 900 participants in Boston and over 17,000 participants nationwide to be a part of the study.

Those interested in participating or learning more about the study should visit the cohort’s website.

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