The LOCOMUS study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long COVID related inflammatory processes. What is its association on bone, joints, and musculoskeletal microvascular haemodynamics?
IRAS ID
308229
Contact name
William David Strain
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
In early 2020 a novel virus, designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread throughout many countries and is the cause of a respiratory illness called (COVID-19). Following COVID-19 infection, people can experience ongoing health effects. These effects can include all ages and races, even those who were not hospitalised during acute illness or did not have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. According to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) describe, Long-COVID (LC) is non-explained signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute COVID-19. It is estimated that around 1 in 7 people testing positive for COVID-19 have ongoing symptoms at 12 weeks. The effects of LC on musculoskeletal systems are still unknown. Though several studies have identified MSK-related symptoms associated with LC, this aspect remains unclear. For example, as MSK LC ongoing symptoms, many studies reported fatigue as the main manifestation, then comms myalgia and joint pain which are ambiguous as LC symptoms. Over that, these symptoms may have resulted from many factors such as inflammatory, neurological, psychological, or the negative impact of extended lockdown associated with the covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate the biological changes that could explain MSK symptoms in people with LC. This would be important when considering strategies for managing people with or at risk of developing LC.
This longitudinal prospective case-control study aims to explore the impact of long COVID on bone, and joint health carried out through medical investigations (DXA, Ultrasound, and blood tests) by NHS validated symptom-control questionnaires. However, because long covid is increasingly recognised as a vascular disease, and therefore determining the adverse impact on bone health could be explored with the Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) test.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/YH/0031
Date of REC Opinion
12 Apr 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion