Ziyad Al-Aly

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Ziyad Al-Aly is an American physician and clinical epidemiologist who is currently Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center and Chief of the Research and Development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System. [1] [2] [3] He is also a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis. [2] He has led multiple studies on long covid and its sequelae. [4]

Contents

Early life

Al-Aly was born in Tripoli, Lebanon to teachers. [5] He grew up during the Lebanese civil war which dominated Lebanon from 1975 to 1990, [5] emigrating to the United States in 2000.

Education

Al-Aly holds a medical degree from the American University of Beirut. [6] He completed his post-graduate medical education at Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Career

Al-Aly's research work has been cited more than a 120,000 times and he has an h-index of more than 80 according to Google Scholar. [7]

Long COVID research

Al-Aly led work which provided the first systematic characterization of the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. [8] He subsequently led work which characterized the increased risks of cardiovascular disease, [9] neurologic disorders, [10] mental health disorders, [11] gastrointestinal disorders, [12] diabetes, [13] dyslipidemia, [14] and kidney disease [15] following SARS-CoV-2 infection. His lab also produced evidence characterizing the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on long COVID [16] and the health consequences of repeated infections with SARS-CoV-2. [17]

In 2024, Al-Aly testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as an expert witness on Long Covid. He called for the establishment of an NIH institute to address Long Covid and Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions and Illnesses (IACCIs) — also called post-acute infection syndromes — with a funding of at least $1 billion per year. [18] [19]

Pharmacoepidemiology

Including work characterizing the adverse health effect of proton pump inhibitors and comparative effectiveness of antihyperglycemic medications. His work also included examining the effectiveness of COVID-19 antivirals including paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) and molnupiravir on acute COVID-19 outcomes [20] [21] and long COVID. [22] [23]

Environmental epidemiology research

Including work which evaluated the effect of air pollution on kidney health, [24] diabetes, [25] obesity, [26] and early mortality. [27]

Honors and awards

In 2023, Al-Aly was awarded the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary's Award — the highest VA award — for outstanding contributions to research. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in health in 2024 by TIME100 Health. Al-Aly was recognized with the HealthCentral’s 2024 Chronic Health Innovator Award for his research and advocacy that led to the recognition of Long Covid as a chronic disease. He was listed on the 2024 Fierce 50 — an annual list that recognizes people driving major advancements in medicine and shaping the future of healthcare. 

Related Research Articles

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Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medications that cause a profound and prolonged reduction of stomach acid production. They do so by irreversibly inhibiting the stomach's H+/K+ ATPase proton pump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 2 diabetes</span> Form of diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue and unexplained weight loss. Other symptoms include increased hunger, having a sensation of pins and needles, and sores (wounds) that heal slowly. Symptoms often develop slowly. Long-term complications from high blood sugar include heart disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, which can result in blindness, kidney failure, and poor blood flow in the lower-limbs, which may lead to amputations. The sudden onset of hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state may occur; however, ketoacidosis is uncommon.

A sequela is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, therapy, or other trauma. Derived from the Latin word meaning "sequel", it is used in the medical field to mean a complication or condition following a prior illness or disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 1 diabetes</span> Form of diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when pancreatic are destroyed by the body's immune system. Insulin is a hormone required by the body to store and convert blood sugar into energy. T1D results in high blood sugar levels in the body prior to treatment. Common symptoms include frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, and other complications. Additional symptoms may include blurry vision, tiredness, and slow wound healing. While some cases take longer, symptoms usually appear within weeks or a few months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brodie abscess</span> Medical condition

A Brodie abscess is a subacute osteomyelitis, appearing as an accumulation of pus in bone, frequently with an insidious onset. Brodie's abscess is characterized by pain and swelling without fever, often resulting from diabetic wounds, fracture-related bone infection, or haematogenous osteomyelitis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immunization during pregnancy</span>

Immunization during pregnancy is the administration of a vaccine to a pregnant individual. This may be done either to protect the individual from disease or to induce an antibody response, such that the antibodies cross the placenta and provide passive immunity to the infant after birth. In many countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, vaccination against influenza, COVID-19 and whooping cough is routinely offered during pregnancy.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-risk pregnancy</span> Medical condition

A high-risk pregnancy is a pregnancy where the mother or the fetus has an increased risk of adverse outcomes compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. No concrete guidelines currently exist for distinguishing “high-risk” pregnancies from “low-risk” pregnancies; however, there are certain studied conditions that have been shown to put the mother or fetus at a higher risk of poor outcomes. These conditions can be classified into three main categories: health problems in the mother that occur before she becomes pregnant, health problems in the mother that occur during pregnancy, and certain health conditions with the fetus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diabetes</span> Group of endocrine diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19</span> Contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 in pregnancy</span> Medical condition

COVID-19 infection in pregnancy is associated with several pregnancy complications. However, pregnancy does not appear to increase the susceptibility of becoming infected by COVID-19. Recommendations for the prevention of COVID-19 include the same measures as non-pregnant people.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transmission of COVID-19</span> Mechanisms that spread coronavirus disease 2019

The transmission of COVID-19 is the passing of coronavirus disease 2019 from person to person. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets/aerosols and small airborne particles containing the virus. Infected people exhale those particles as they breathe, talk, cough, sneeze, or sing. Transmission is more likely the closer people are. However, infection can occur over longer distances, particularly indoors.

Long COVID or long-haul COVID is a group of health problems persisting or developing after an initial period of COVID-19 infection. Symptoms can last weeks, months or years and are often debilitating. The World Health Organization defines long COVID as starting three months after the initial COVID-19 infection, but other agencies define it as starting at four weeks after the initial infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of COVID-19 on neurological, psychological and other mental health outcomes</span>

There is increasing evidence suggesting that COVID-19 causes both acute and chronic neurologicalor psychological symptoms. Caregivers of COVID-19 patients also show a higher than average prevalence of mental health concerns. These symptoms result from multiple different factors.

Biological inequity, also known as biological inequality, refers to the “systematic, unfair, and avoidable stress-related biological differences which increase risk of disease, observed between social groups of a population”. The term developed by Centric Lab aims to unify societal factors with the biological underpinnings of health inequities – the unfair and avoidable differences in health status and risks between social groups of a population — such that these inequalities can be investigated in a holistic manner.

The Biomedical Research Center (BRC) is a research center at Qatar University focusing on biomedical research. BRC was founded in 2014, and partners with the Ministry of Public Health (Qatar), and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

Post-acute infection syndromes (PAISs) or post-infectious syndromes are medical conditions characterized by symptoms attributed to a prior infection. While it is commonly assumed that people either recover or die from infections, long-term symptoms—or sequelae—are a possible outcome as well. Examples include long COVID, Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and post-Ebola virus syndrome. Common symptoms include post-exertional malaise (PEM), severe fatigue, neurocognitive symptoms, flu-like symptoms, and pain. The pathology of most of these conditions is not understood and management is generally symptomatic.

Hannah E. Davis is an American artist, data scientist and long COVID researcher. She was one of the founders of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative (PLRC), a group of long COVID patients with experience in research or data analysis. Research early in the COVID-19 pandemic by the PLRC mapped how a COVID-19 infection could have long-term debilitating effects, even for young and previously healthy people. It was used for the CDC's documentation on long COVID.

References

  1. ↑ "Repeat coronavirus infections can still be dangerous, study suggests". The Washington Post . Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Ziyad Al-Aly, MD". Washington University in St. Louis . Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  3. ↑ Outlook Magazine, Washington University in Saint Louis (2023-06-21). "Real-world reflections". Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  4. ↑ "COVID-19 infections increase risk of long-term brain problems". Washington University in St. Louis . 22 September 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 Outlook Magazine, Washington University in Saint Louis (2023-06-21). "Real-world reflections". Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  6. ↑ "Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, FASN". Washington University in St. Louis . Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Ziyad Al-Aly, MD". Google Scholar . Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Al-Aly, Ziyad; Xie, Yan; Bowe, Benjamin (June 2021). "High-dimensional characterization of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19". Nature. 594 (7862): 259–264. Bibcode:2021Natur.594..259A. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03553-9 . ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   33887749. S2CID   233373053.
  9. ↑ Xie, Yan; Xu, Evan; Bowe, Benjamin; Al-Aly, Ziyad (March 2022). "Long-term cardiovascular outcomes of COVID-19". Nature Medicine. 28 (3): 583–590. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01689-3. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   8938267 . PMID   35132265.
  10. ↑ Xu, Evan; Xie, Yan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (November 2022). "Long-term neurologic outcomes of COVID-19". Nature Medicine. 28 (11): 2406–2415. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02001-z. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   9671811 . PMID   36138154.
  11. ↑ Xie, Yan; Xu, Evan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2022-02-16). "Risks of mental health outcomes in people with covid-19: cohort study". BMJ. 376: e068993. doi:10.1136/bmj-2021-068993. ISSN   1756-1833. PMC   8847881 . PMID   35172971.
  12. ↑ Xu, Evan; Xie, Yan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2023-03-07). "Long-term gastrointestinal outcomes of COVID-19". Nature Communications. 14 (1): 983. Bibcode:2023NatCo..14..983X. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36223-7. ISSN   2041-1723. PMC   9992516 . PMID   36882400.
  13. ↑ Xie, Yan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2022-05-01). "Risks and burdens of incident diabetes in long COVID: a cohort study". The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 10 (5): 311–321. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(22)00044-4. ISSN   2213-8587. PMC   8937253 . PMID   35325624.
  14. ↑ Xu, Evan; Xie, Yan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2023-02-01). "Risks and burdens of incident dyslipidaemia in long COVID: a cohort study". The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 11 (2): 120–128. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(22)00355-2. ISSN   2213-8587. PMC   9873268 . PMID   36623520.
  15. ↑ Bowe, Benjamin; Xie, Yan; Xu, Evan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (November 2021). "Kidney Outcomes in Long COVID". Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 32 (11): 2851–2862. doi:10.1681/ASN.2021060734. ISSN   1046-6673. PMC   8806085 . PMID   34470828. S2CID   237389462.
  16. ↑ Al-Aly, Ziyad; Bowe, Benjamin; Xie, Yan (July 2022). "Long COVID after breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection". Nature Medicine. 28 (7): 1461–1467. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01840-0. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   9307472 . PMID   35614233.
  17. ↑ Bowe, Benjamin; Xie, Yan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (November 2022). "Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection". Nature Medicine. 28 (11): 2398–2405. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02051-3. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   9671810 . PMID   36357676.
  18. ↑ "Testimony of Ziyad Al-Aly, M.D., Clinical Epidemiologist, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO Before United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. January 18, 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-18.
  19. ↑ Al-Aly, Ziyad; Davis, Hannah; McCorkell, Lisa; Soares, Letícia; Wulf-Hanson, Sarah; Iwasaki, Akiko; Topol, Eric J. (August 2024). "Long COVID science, research and policy". Nature Medicine. 30 (8): 2148–2164. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03173-6 . ISSN   1546-170X. PMID   39122965.
  20. ↑ Xie, Yan; Bowe, Benjamin; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2023-04-11). "Nirmatrelvir and risk of hospital admission or death in adults with covid-19: emulation of a randomized target trial using electronic health records". BMJ. 381: e073312. doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-073312. ISSN   1756-1833. PMC   10086514 . PMID   37041016.
  21. ↑ Xie, Yan; Bowe, Benjamin; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2023-03-07). "Molnupiravir and risk of hospital admission or death in adults with covid-19: emulation of a randomized target trial using electronic health records". BMJ. 380: e072705. doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-072705. ISSN   1756-1833. PMC   9989554 . PMID   36882199.
  22. ↑ Xie, Yan; Choi, Taeyoung; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2023-06-01). "Association of Treatment With Nirmatrelvir and the Risk of Post–COVID-19 Condition". JAMA Internal Medicine. 183 (6): 554–564. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.0743. ISSN   2168-6106. PMC   10037200 . PMID   36951829.
  23. ↑ Xie, Yan; Choi, Taeyoung; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2023-04-25). "Molnupiravir and risk of post-acute sequelae of covid-19: cohort study". BMJ. 381: e074572. doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-074572. ISSN   1756-1833. PMC   10126525 . PMID   37161995.
  24. ↑ Bowe, Benjamin; Xie, Yan; Li, Tingting; Yan, Yan; Xian, Hong; Al-Aly, Ziyad (January 2018). "Particulate Matter Air Pollution and the Risk of Incident CKD and Progression to ESRD". Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 29 (1): 218–230. doi:10.1681/ASN.2017030253. ISSN   1046-6673. PMC   5748906 . PMID   28935655.
  25. ↑ Bowe, Benjamin; Xie, Yan; Li, Tingting; Yan, Yan; Xian, Hong; Al-Aly, Ziyad (July 2018). "The 2016 global and national burden of diabetes mellitus attributable to PM 2·5 air pollution". The Lancet Planetary Health. 2 (7): e301–e312. doi: 10.1016/s2542-5196(18)30140-2 . ISSN   2542-5196. PMID   30074893.
  26. ↑ Bowe, Benjamin; Gibson, Andrew K.; Xie, Yan; Yan, Yan; Donkelaar, Aaron van; Martin, Randall V.; Al-Aly, Ziyad (April 2021). "Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Risk of Weight Gain and Obesity in United States Veterans: An Observational Cohort Study". Environmental Health Perspectives. 129 (4). doi:10.1289/EHP7944. ISSN   0091-6765. PMC   8016176 . PMID   33793302.
  27. ↑ Bowe, Benjamin; Xie, Yan; Yan, Yan; Al-Aly, Ziyad (2019-11-20). "Burden of Cause-Specific Mortality Associated With PM 2.5 Air Pollution in the United States". JAMA Network Open. 2 (11): e1915834. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.15834. ISSN   2574-3805. PMC   6902821 . PMID   31747037.
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