Long COVID

As the rate of COVID-19 infection progresses in many regions of the United States, many patients, after experiencing an acute infection, continue to experience debilitating symptoms that result in a viral-induced fatigue syndrome with similar symptomatology to ME/CFS. It is well understood that viral or bacterial insult combined with other factors likely contribute to the onset of ME/CFS. However, the rate of post COVID-19 ME/CFS could drive these numbers up to staggering proportions, with one million ME/CFS cases in the U.S. today, prior to the pandemic. 

Study Design

This epidemiologic study surveys a community-based population in sufficient numbers to estimate the risk of long-term ME/CFS-like symptoms following infection of COVID-19. This part of the study will utilize two components: a longitudinal survey population, and a clinic-based assessment/phenotyping population. The longitudinal survey population will comprise of a large online survey component involving the study populations and the clinic-based assessment/phenotyping population consisting of a smaller on-site component to phenotype the ME/CFS-like illness.

We are recruiting people who had an initial COVID-19 positive test and still have symptoms 3 months later, from health care systems and clinical practices in Broward and Miami Dade counties. This includes Baptist Health System, Jackson Memorial Health System, UHealth (University of Miami) the VA (Miami and Broward Veterans Health clinics) , Broward General, NSU Health, Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) and several clinics that specialize in acute or post COVID-19 care in the two counties. Patients in these health care systems or clinics are receiving emails or text messages that include a link to enroll in the study. English and Spanish-speaking participants are welcome.

The longitudinal survey population will be contacted at least four times a year for health and trajectory assessments over a three-year period. In the phenotyping/clinical assessments, additional survey questionnaires, physical examinations, echocardiograms, spirometry measurements, laboratory testing, and expert clinical examinations will be performed.

If you think you are eligible and did not receive an email or text, contact us at postcoviduppstudy@nova.edu or join the study by completing the COVID-UPP Survey. Study subjects are compensated for their time.

This study will conduct a phenotyping assessment to describe the persistent illness that can follow acute COVID19 infection, evaluating clinical presentation and biomarker expression in a subset of the cohort that is also enrolled in a longitudinal study of prevalence, trajectory, and illness severity. This study will involve an on-site clinical assessment to phenotype the ME/CFS-like illness and will draw from an unrecovered symptomatic group, versus a fully recovered comparison group of participants who are currently enrolled in the companion study.

Principal Investigator: Nancy Klimas, MD, NSU & Palacio - VA

The project goal is to inform recruitment and data collection methods and the interpretation of the findings from the COVID-UPP Study.

Objectives:

1. Describe barriers and facilitators to, and motivations for, participating in COVID research studies for people with long COVID conditions to inform the design of the COVID-UPP Study.
2. Describe perceptions of long COVID care and treatment and long COVID research and how it may impact participation into long COVID studies.

Principal Investigator: Nancy Klimas, MD, NSU & Palacio - VA

Our developing clinical trial aims to test the safety and effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies on Long COVID symptoms. If you are suffering from chronic, post-viral COVID and would like to participate in our upcoming trial, please complete the survey below. Any questions can be directed to LongCOVID@nova.edu. Once the study begins recruiting, a member of our team will reach out to you.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Nancy Klimas, MD

Nancy Klimas, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Director, Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine
Read bio.

Ana Palacio, M.D., MPH
Principal Investigator
Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Miami 
Co-Director of the Long COVID Clinic, Miami VA.

Maximiliano Barbosa, Ph.D.
Data Analyst/Data Manager

Nicole Velasquez, BSPH
Study/Program Coordinator

Juanita Reyes, IMG
Clinical Research Coordinator II

Devra E. Cohen, MPH
Project Manager, IRB

Korrine Rodrigue, Ph.D. Candidate
Project Manager

Sashah Damier, Ed.D., MBA, CRCP-I
REDCap Support Specialist 

Kamoly Dorneles, B.S.
Quality Control Specialist

Sylvia Garay
VA Recruitment and Quality Control Specialist

Nancy Klimas, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Director, Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine
Read bio.

Amanpreet Cheema, Ph.D., MS
Director, Office of Clinical Research
Read bio.

Fanny Collado, MSN, APRN-FNP-BC, NE
Clinical Research Nurse Manager

Alejandro Montealegre, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Clinical Research Associate II

Melissa Faso, RN, MPH
Research Assistant

Devra E. Cohen, MPH
Project Manager, IRB

Sashah Damier, Ed.D., MBA, CRCP-I
REDCap Support Specialist

Mayra Vidro, MPH
Quality Control Specialist

Jailene Jimenez, BS
Research Program Coordinator