Unraveling the Mystery of Chronic COVID-19 Syndrome: Experts Unite at Joint Symposium
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-Korean Society of Infectious Diseases Joint Symposium on Chronic COVID-19 Syndrome
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (Director Ji Young-mi) will hold a joint symposium with the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases on the topic of chronic COVID-19 syndrome at the fall conference of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and the Korean Society of Antimicrobial Therapy on Thursday, November 7.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s National Institute of Health (Director Park Hyun-young) and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (Director Jang Hee-chang) have been carrying out the ‘Chronic COVID-19 Syndrome Research and Research Project’ since August 22 to establish a scientific basis for patient management for symptoms that persist after COVID-19 infection.
Through this project, approximately 9,500 research subjects have been secured for clinical cohort-based research on chronic COVID-19 syndrome and the occurrence patterns are being analyzed. Research utilizing big data and translational research has identified the causal mechanism of chronic COVID-19 syndrome.
Major achievements announced through this project include providing COVID-19 vaccination and antiviral treatment in the early stages of infection to prevent the syndrome. In April 2024, ‘Chronic COVID-19 Syndrome Treatment Guidelines’ were prepared for medical personnel, including testing methods, treatment methods, and prevention strategies, to ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment within the general medical system.
These guidelines are available on the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency website (dportal.kdca.go.kr → COVID-19 → Chronic COVID-19 syndrome) and the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases website (www.ksid.or.kr → Data collection → Infectious disease-specific guidelines), as well as in academic journals (Infection & Chemotherapy).
The joint symposium will introduce the direction of revision of treatment guidelines that reflect research results, aspects of domestic chronic COVID-19 syndrome based on big data, clinical trials to discover treatments for chronic COVID-19 syndrome, and additional information related to severe chronic COVID-19 syndrome or unusual cases.
Chairman Lee Dong-gun of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases emphasized the importance of systematic research on symptoms that persist after COVID-19 infection, saying, “We hope to provide better treatment for chronic COVID-19 syndrome based on the research results derived from this project.”
Professor Lee Jae-gap (Hallym University), the head of research for the project, said, “We will continue to secure scientific evidence for the management of patients with chronic COVID-19 syndrome through close cooperation with the government, public health centers, and the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, and revise the treatment guidelines to reflect this.”
Director Ji Young-mi of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “We appreciate the efforts of the researchers who have been working to secure the basis for diagnosis and treatment through research on chronic COVID-19 syndrome, and actively review the research results and opinions discussed at the academic conference to ensure that they are reflected in policies.”
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