Speaking of COVID, they've found six broad categories of symptom clusters

[thewayne]

and their likely treatment course.

The problem, of course, is that we humans are an individualistic lot and don't like fitting snugly into one category, so frequently we'll drift into multiple categories during an illness. Still, it is interesting to see what the likely course of treatment might be, and it's good to know that, unlike when this all began, that we aren't going to be thrown on a ventilator like we all expected.

I had a telemedicine appointment with my lung doctor last week, and he said that if I do get sick with COVID, to do my best to treat at home as long as possible and to contact him and he'll get medicines to me. He's based in El Paso and they're in pretty bad shape.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/covid-19-symptom-clusters-223755338.html

Comments

[graydon]

That's just got to be fascinating to the gene-wranglers. Epithelial disease, responses about have to be mediated by something, especially by how much immune response happens.

Greenfield novel diseases are cultural learning experiences. Only really just getting started with this one.

[thewayne]

People keep forgetting that we’ve only known about this disease since the end of last year, and the data-sharing hasn’t been quite universal yet. There’s still much left yet to be discovered.

When I started going to NIH ten years ago, they did genetic testing on me to try to find a genetic cause for my immune problem. They were testing, IIRC, 250 genes. 2-4 years later, I’m contacted by another doc at NIH who wants to do another gene test on me and my immediate family, they’re now doubling the number of genes they’re testing. I never hear back from him. December last year, I have an appointment added to my schedule, very last minute, with a “genetic counselor.” No idea what this is to be about, but it definitely should be interesting. Now they want to do another test, only this time they’re mapping MY ENTIRE GENE SEQUENCE. Basically the only thing they learned from the previous gene studies is that they weren’t studying enough of the gene sequence, and that with improvements in computing power and algorithms, they could now study all of it. So they are.

[graydon]

Yup!

They're also having the delightful experience of "Ok, yes, that's statistically significant, but why? what the pluperfect does that have to do with anything?" just all over the place.

Going to be a goodly while before they get the whole thing figured out, but even the early bits are generally hopeful stuff.

[thewayne]

We definitely know a whole lot more than we did in April, that’s for sure! Such as: don’t automatically put people on ventilators!