Covid-19 has become a worldwide concern causing an unprecedented pandemic with tragically over 130,000 fatalities in the UK alone.

The Office for National Statistics reported that 1 in 10 people it surveyed who had tested positive for Covid 19 still had symptoms 12 weeks later.  Some cases are mild, but others are seriously debilitating, with breathlessness and fatigue.  Up to 60,000 people in the UK have suffered from long Covid for more than three months.

Infected patients can often show different symptoms dependent upon the severity of the disease.  In non severe cases the patients immune system can successfully eliminate the virus and its effects.

In severe cases, however, there can be immune system impairment which eventually may lead to acute breathing difficulties (ARDS).

One of the treatment strategies is to eliminate inflammatory response in the patient. Even though there are medications (immunosuppressants)  available to help treat this  they may cause a delayed body response to virus elimination.

However, in recent years photobiomodulation (PBM) has shown promising results in reducing acute pulmonary inflammation

For over 50 years LLLT has been used to promote tissue regeneration, decreased inflammation and to reduce pain.  LLLT also increases blood flow by the dilation of blood vessels which in turn leads to greater oxygenation of the tissues helping reduce the stress on breathing function.   The Apex Pain Relief Laser also changes cellular and molecular metabolism which also helps to reduce inflammation and to encourage chemical messenger release.   This therapy for patient home use has shown promising results in reducing acute pulmonary inflammation as well as having a role to play in rebalancing the immune system response.

We are of the view that the Apex Pain Relief Laser could be an effective and viable treatment for the management of acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS) in patients recovering from long Covid at home.