Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Isolating Central Nervous System Tissues and Associated Meninges for the Downstream Analysis of Immune cells
Published on: May 19, 2020
Contextualising Long Covid: Viral Sequelae, 'Post-Encephalitis' Lethargica and the Modern British Healthcare System,
1School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities, Jessop West, 1 Upper Hanover Street, Sheffield, S3 7RA, UK.
Insights
Long Covid, a protracted illness after coronavirus disease 2019, emerged from patient efforts. Historical analysis of Post-Encephalitis Lethargica suggests current NHS structures may shape Long Covid care.
Area of Science:
- Medical History
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Long Covid (coronavirus disease 2019 sequelae) emerged post-March 2020.
- Patient advocacy categorized these protracted illnesses.
- This led to recognition and potential healthcare access in Britain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To add patient-driven knowledge of Long Covid.
- To conduct a comparative historical analysis with Post-Encephalitis Lethargica (EL).
- To examine how historical healthcare divisions influence current Long Covid perceptions and responses within the NHS.
Main Methods:
- Comparative historical analysis.
- Examination of administrative divisions in British healthcare.
- Literature review of Long Covid and Post-Encephalitis Lethargica.
Main Results:
- Post-Encephalitis Lethargica (EL) in the early 20th century was shaped by emerging healthcare divisions.
- These divisions influenced the parsing of viral sequelae.
- Historical parallels suggest potential impacts on current Long Covid management.
Conclusions:
- Understanding historical responses to viral sequelae like EL offers a framework for Long Covid.
- National Health Service (NHS) administrative structures may influence current Long Covid perception and care.
- Patient-led knowledge is crucial for understanding and addressing Long Covid.
Abstract:
In the months after March 2020, people across Britain began to seek medical attention for protracted illness following an infection with coronavirus disease 2019. Through the efforts of patients, these illnesses were eventually gathered into the diagnostic category of 'Long Covid' and therefore viewed as viral sequelae, in turn opening up the possibility for medical care and treatment in the British health system. This article adds to such patient-made knowledge of Long Covid through a comparative historical analysis with the problem of 'Post-Encephalitis' Lethargica (EL). In the early twentieth century, the viral sequelae of EL were parsed in line with and thus shaped by the binary divisions that were becoming used to structure healthcare in Britain. By telling this story of the past, this article provides a framework to understand if and how such administrative divisions within the National Health Service (NHS) might continue to inform perceptions of and responses to Long Covid in the present.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Long-term Depression
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
01:26Traditional Level Of Health Care System
The preventive healthcare service includes tests for screening. Preventive health care services include identifying and reducing disease risk...
01:18Factors Affecting Illness
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness,...
01:17Classification of Illness
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe...
01:26Stages of Infection
01:26Healthcare Associated Infections I: Iatrogenic, Exogenic and Endogenic
HAIs significantly increase the cost of health care. Extended stays in healthcare institutions, increased disability, increased costs of medications, including specialized antibiotics, and prolonged recovery times add to the patient's expenses and the healthcare institution and funding bodies.