UD professor studying COVID-19 ‘long-haulers’

Dr. Andrea Dillon receives her first shot of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine regimen at Miami Valley Hospital North. Photo provided by Premier Health.

Credit: Will Jones

Credit: Will Jones

Dr. Andrea Dillon receives her first shot of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine regimen at Miami Valley Hospital North. Photo provided by Premier Health.

A University of Dayton professor is one of the study leaders testing a new rehabilitation treatment for COVID-19 “long-haulers,” or people who contract mild or moderate forms of the COVID-19 virus and experience symptoms like headaches, exhaustion, fever, difficulty breathing and loss of smell for weeks or months.

The study investigates the effects of a combination of treadmill exercise and oxygen therapy to improve the mental and physical health of people with post-COVID syndrome, according to a release from the University of Dayton.

The study leaders are University of Dayton assistant professor of psychology Julie Walsh-Messinger and Noah Greenspan of the Pulmonary Wellness Foundation, the release said.

The study is now recruiting participants. However, participants must be based in the New York City area, female, between the ages of 18 and 55, who contracted COVID in February, March or April 2020. They must have been clinically diagnosed and continue to experience symptoms, but do not require a positive PCR or antibody test..

More is available on the Pulmonary Wellness Foundation website https://pulmonarywellness.org/research and anyone interested in participating in the study can email consult@covidpt.org to set-up a screening evaluation.

Walsh-Messinger and Greenspan previously worked together to show that young adults are also susceptible to lingering COVID symptoms. Their findings are under peer review. Read more on their findings here.

UD said Walsh-Messinger first connected with Greenspan as a patient who was suffering from post-COVID syndrome. She underwent treatment studied at the Post-COVID Rehabilitation and Recovery Clinic.

The work builds on efforts by the Pulmonary Wellness Foundation, described as a nonprofit organization that offers free resources and support that can be accessed virtually for people everywhere experiencing lingering COVID as well as other cardiovascular, pulmonary and complex medical conditions. More information is available at: pulmonarywellness.org.

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