Cognitive impairment is one of the commonly reported Long COVID symptoms, mainly in termsof memory, attention, and executive function. The cognitive symptoms of Long COVID aresimilar to "brain fog" or "chemo brain", manifested as low energy, disorientation,difficulties in attention and communication which are common conditions in cancerpatients after chemotherapy. Given the negative impact of such cognitive impairment indaily living and working, it is important to develop effective treatment andself-management techniques to enhance cognitive functions in COVID-19 survivors.Acupuncture, acupressure, dantian breathing, and qigong are promising treatment andself-management techniques to remedy the cognitive impairment in people with Long COVID.Since acupressure, dantian breathing, and qigong are feasible for self-practice, they canbe trained to promote a healthy lifestyle. The present study is a randomized controlledtrial to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture, lifestyle management (including dantianbreathing, qigong, and acupressure), and acupuncture + lifestyle management to improvegeneral cognitive function of people with Long COVID symptoms, compared with wait-listcontrol. We will recruit 100 COVID-19 survivors who experience at least mild cognitiveimpairment and/or self-complaint of cognitive difficulty for at least 12 weeks afterclinical recovery from COVID-19 infection. They will be randomly assigned to thefollowing groups: (1) Acupuncture Group; (2) Lifestyle Management Group; (3) Acupuncture+ Lifestyle Management Group; and (4) Waitlist Control Group. Acupuncture and lifestylemanagement will each take 8 weeks, with two 50-min sessions per week. Primary outcome isgeneral cognitive function. Secondary outcomes cover fatigue, physical fitness,neurocognitive function, psychological distress, and health-related quality of life,pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) and salivary cortisol. Assessment will beconducted at baseline, mid-intervention (4 weeks after baseline), post-intervention (8weeks after baseline), and 4-week follow-up (12 weeks after baseline).
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Behavioral: Acupuncture and TCM-based lifestyle management
Non-pharmacological treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine.
Inclusion Criteria:
- With a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 3 months prior to recruitment (to
be verified based on evidence of positive RT-PCR/RAT result)
- Tested negative of SARS-CoV-2 according to a RAT at the time of recruitment;
- Fulfill at least one of the following conditions: (a) With at least mild cognitive
impairment as assessed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment 5-minute to be conducted
by the project team; (b) Self-report of at least one cognitive symptom persisting
for 12 weeks or longer after clinical recovery of SARS-CoV-2 infection according to
Woods Mental Fatigue Inventory.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Having any severe cognitive impairment, mood disorder, or anxiety disorder before
SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Having any current psychiatric disorders that require taking medication.
- Having any current medical conditions that could interfere with cognitive functions.
- Having epilepsy or any other unstable medical conditions.
- Having alcoholism or drug abuse within the past 1 year.
- Having bleeding tendency.
- Having severe needle phobia.
- Having heart pacemaker or other electronic devices implanted in the body.
- Currently participating in another research studies or clinical trials.
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Erin Lu
27666740
erin.lu@polyu.edu.hk
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