What are the long-term health impacts and healthcare requirements of COVID-19?
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will hear from leading researchers about the long-term health impacts of COVID-19, and what healthcare services could be required.
The Committee heard on 15 June about how the virus harms the body. In this new evidence session, the Committee will hear from experts about the impacts that can last after a patient has overcome the illness. The Committee will seek to identify areas of research and potential future healthcare services for those who suffer long-term impacts.
The first panel of experts will focus on the longer-term effects of the illness on the lungs and cardiovascular system, the two systems that are most commonly affected. This will include a discussion of how the virus can exacerbate (or even trigger) diabetes. The second panel of experts will consider the impacts of the virus on other organs and systems, in particular the kidneys and the central nervous system.
Meeting details
Possible questions
- How common is it for COVID-19 to cause long-term damage to the lungs and the cardiovascular system, and how well might these systems recover?
- What are the long-term health implications for people who suffered from COVID-19 with pre-existing diabetes, and what is the latest understanding about COVID-induced diabetes?
- What is the prevalence of kidney damage due to COVID-19, and by what mechanisms does the illness cause this harm?
- How does COVID-19 cause neurological issues, for example is it via direct attack, inflammation or a combination of factors?
- What is being done to find treatments for the longer-term health impacts of COVID-19?
- Will existing care services be suitable for providing treatment for long-term COVID impacts, or will the NHS need new services for "chronic COVID"?
- What is the likely scale of the challenges of long-term care? Does the NHS have the necessary capacity and the necessary co-ordination between different parts of service?