Age-Related Changes in the Clinical Picture of Long COVID

Mindy Fain, MD, GGP division chief and director of the U of A Center on Aging, is first author on a paper, “Age-related changes in the clinical picture of Long COVID,” published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Although Dr. Fain is listed as the first author, the work wouldn't have been accomplished without Dr. Janko Nikolich's enormous drive and expertise as senior author. This NIH-funded study on behalf of the RECOVER or Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery Consortium evaluated the impact of aging on frequency and prevalent symptoms of Long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2. Using the RECOVER adult cohort, it found that in assisted living community-dwelling older adults, aging does alter the prevalence and pattern of reported Long COVID. This has key implications in identifying and managing Long COVID in older adults.