United States: A new AI-supported analysis of hundreds of patients has revealed that over 20% of Americans likely have long COVID.
The data present in the analysis point at 23% of the US adults suffering from the symptoms of long COVID, as stated in the journal Med, the results of which were released on November 8, as reported by HealthDay.
Researchers pointed out that the figure is significantly higher than the long Covid rate that is estimated to be at 7% as per other research.
AI Technology Pinpoints Subtle Symptoms
“Questions about the true burden of long COVID — questions that have thus far remained elusive — now seem more within reach,” said senior researcher Hossein Estiri, head of AI research at Mass General Brigham in Boston.
For the study, the researchers have built an AI model that can trawl through enormous volumes of electronic health records searching for the often rather cryptic signs and symptoms of long-term Covid.
These symptoms can involve virtually every bodily system, and encompass fatigue, chronic cough, heart issues, and “brain fog.” Most of them appear after the individual has gotten rid of the primary COVID-19 infection that lasts for weeks or months.
A Tool to Aid Clinicians
“Our AI tool could turn a foggy diagnostic process into something sharp and focused, giving clinicians the power to make sense of a challenging condition,” Estiri said in a Mass General news release.
The AI in particular focuses on signs not traceable to an individual’s health conditions, which have lasted for two months or more, and appear after COVID-19, according to the researchers.
For instance, the AI can determine whether shortness of breath may be caused by previous heart failure or asthma rather than long COVID.
Streamlining Diagnosis
“Physicians are often faced with having to wade through a tangled web of symptoms and medical histories, unsure of which threads to pull, while balancing busy caseloads. Having a tool powered by AI that can methodically do it for them could be a game-changer,” said lead researcher Dr. Alaleh Azhir, an internal medicine resident at Brigham and Women’s.
According to the above-mentioned parameters, the AI anticipated that about 23% of the American population might have long COVID, which the researchers noted likely reflects the actual scenario at the national level better, as reported by HealthDay.
The researchers are going to launch the developed AI publicly to open access for the doctors and health care systems to use and experiment with.