An artist's rendering of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.
UVA Health has joined nationwide studies examining potential treatments for long COVID. The trials are part of the National Institutes of Health’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, a national research program to understand, diagnose and treat long COVID.
“The UVA Health pulmonary clinic was one of the very first sites caring for patients after COVID-19 infections, and we opened our post-COVID clinic in July 2020,” said Alexandra Kadl, MD, director of UVA Health’s post-COVID clinic. “Since then, we have seen hundreds of patients with lingering symptoms, most commonly fatigue, an unexplained fast heart rate, sleep disturbances and brain fog. Our team is excited to participate in these clinical trials as we continue to seek better ways to care for patients with long COVID.”
The long COVID trials now open at UVA Health:
RECOVER-AUTONOMIC
This trial is enrolling adults who developed symptoms of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) after having COVID-19. POTS is characterized by an unexpectedly fast heart rate, dizziness, fatigue or a combination of these symptoms when a person stands from sitting or lying down.
RECOVER-AUTONOMIC Is initially examining three potential treatments:
- Gamunex-C, a form of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) which contains antibodies to help the body protect itself against infections and is given by intravenous infusion.
- Ivabradine, an oral medication that reduces heart rate.
- Coordinator-guided, non-drug care. This includes a series of activities managed through weekly phone calls with a care coordinator, such as wearing a compression belt and eating a high-salt diet, which are recommended for patients with POTS to counteract excessive loss of fluids.
RECOVER-SLEEP
This trial is enrolling adults who had COVID-19 and who still have one or more of these symptoms:
- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep.
- Poor sleep quality.
- Trouble staying awake or feeling very tired during the day.
Participants will be enrolled in one of two RECOVER-SLEEP trials depending on their symptoms:
- RECOVER-SLEEP Hypersomnia: for participants sleeping longer than usual or feeling very sleepy or tired during the day, even after getting a full night’s sleep. This trial will examine two medications – Modafinil and Solriamfetol – as potential treatments.
- RECOVER-SLEEP Complex Sleep Disturbances: for participants with poor sleep quality or problems falling asleep or staying asleep. This trial will examine melatonin and light therapy as potential treatments.
More Information
UVA Health is enrolling participants from across Virginia. For more information about these trials, contact the UVA Health study team:
- Email: COVIDTrialsUVA@uvahealth.org
- Phone: 434.243.4008 or 855.UVA.JEDI (882.5334).
