Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), is a condition in which individuals continue to experience symptoms or develop new symptoms after having recovered from acute COVID-19 infection. Symptoms of long COVID can be wide ranging and can include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, joint pain, headache, brain fog, trouble sleeping, and depression or anxiety. According to a recent extensive study of long COVID patients spanning more than 12 months, 59% of patients continued to show organ damage one year after experiencing the first symptoms, including those who were not severely affected at the time. time of their virus diagnosis.
Organ damage persisted in 59% of COVID patients for a long time one year after the first symptoms, even in those who were not severely affected when the disease was first diagnosed. A new comprehensive study of organ damage in patients with COVID for more than 12 months shows that organ damage persisted in 59% of patients one year after the first symptoms, even in those who were not severely affected when first diagnosed with the virus.
The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, focused on patients reporting extreme breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction, and poor health-related quality of life; 536 long-term COVID patients were included in the study. Thirteen percent were hospitalized when first diagnosed with
Lead author Professor Amitava Banerjee (UCL Institute of Health Informatics) said: “Symptoms were common at six and 12 months and associated with female gender, young age and single organ impairment.”
The study reported a reduction in symptoms between 6 and 12 months (extreme shortness of breath in 38% to 30% of patients, cognitive dysfunction in 48% to 38% of patients, and poor health-related quality of life in 57% at 45 % patients). the patients).
Professor Banerjee added: “Several studies confirm the persistence of symptoms in people with long COVID for up to a year. We now add that three in five people with long COVID have impairment in at least one organ, and one in four have impairment in two or more organs, in some cases without symptoms.
He said: “The impact on quality of life and leave, especially among healthcare workers, is a major concern for individuals, healthcare systems and economies. Many healthcare workers in our study had no prior illness, but of 172 of these participants, 19 were still symptomatic at follow-up and off work at a median of 180 days.
The mechanisms underlying long COVID remain elusive, say the researchers, who found no evidence through symptoms, blood tests or MRIs to clearly define long Covid subtypes. They say future research needs to consider associations between symptoms, multi-organ impairment and function in larger cohorts.
Professor Banerjee concluded: “Organ impairment in long Covid has implications for longer term symptoms, quality of life and health, signaling the need for prevention and integrated care for long COVID patients. .”
Reference: “Multi-Organ Deficiency and Long COVID: A One-Year Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study” by Andrea Dennis, Daniel J Cuthbertson, Dan Wootton, Michael Crooks, Mark Gabbay, Nicole Eichert, Sofia Mouchti, Michele Pansini, Adriana Roca – Fernandez, Helena Thomaides-Brears, Matt Kelly, Matthew Robson, Lyth Hishmeh, Emily Attree, Melissa Heightman, Rajarshi Banerjee and Amitava Banerjee. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
DOI: 10.1177/01410768231154703