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New LOCOMOTION Task Added - aAP Study for Healthy Volunteers

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A new LOCOMOTION work task is seeking healthy volunteers to participate

A Leeds research team led by Dr Sivan is collecting data from healthy volunteers on a special test called the ‘adapted Autonomic Profile’ (aAP), to understand what constitutes normal values for this test, which will help define abnormal value cut-offs for patients with Long COVID.

This will improve the standard of care for people with Long COVID because we can identify those with autonomic dysfunction and help manage their condition better. Autonomic dysfunction is a common condition in Long COVID patients, in which the nerves of the autonomic nervous system are not functioning optimally, affecting the heart function, blood pressure, bladder/bowel function, digestion, and cognition.

Participating in the study would require up to 60 minutes of your time. It would involve measuring your blood pressure and heart rate at key times in daily life (across one single day). Measurements are completed before/after food and exertion, and in different postures (sitting vs. standing).

Icon showing blood pressure and heart rate, which are recorded as part of the aAP study

To participate, you must:

  • Be aged 18+
  • Have NO pre-existing chronic condition with autonomic dysfunction
  • Have NO symptoms or diagnosis of Long COVID
  • Have access to a blood pressure machine.

If you would like more information or want to participate, please contact the team via email: aapstudy@leeds.ac.uk

This research is important because there are two million individuals with Long COVID in the UK. It is estimated more than a third of those with Long COVID might have altered functioning of the autonomic nervous system. The aAP test gives people with Long COVID easy access to diagnosis and monitor their own symptoms at home. Also, it gives them reliable evidence of the situations that trigger their symptoms.

More information on the aAP test is available on:

Task 2.3 Poster