Many weeks, or even months, after being affected by Covid-19, some people still show symptoms of the disease. These patients suffer from a “long Covid” or “persistent Covid”. A study published on March 22 in the scientific journal Nature Medicine revealed that these clinical signs would last over time in at least one in three patients after hospitalization for a Covid-19 infection. Clearly, about a third of patients hospitalized because of this disease would suffer from a “long Covid”.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers reviewed studies from the United States, Europe and China. The work reviewed highlights the long-term consequences for people with a long form of the coronavirus.
Several patients are said to be suffering from a “long Covid”
Scientists first analyzed the results of a study of 1,250 people in 38 hospitals in Michigan, United States. Of the 488 patients who responded to the telephone survey for this study, 32.6% of patients reported persistent symptoms. 18.9% of them declared to suffer from new or worsening clinical signs.
Research in Europe has reported similar results. For the purposes of their meta-analysis, the scientists also studied Italian works and found “the persistence of symptoms in 87.4% of the 143 patients discharged from hospital who recovered from Covid-19 during a 60-day follow-up from the onset of the first clinical signs.”
“A study of 150 survivors of the acute phase of Covid-19 in France also highlighted the persistence of symptoms in two-thirds of individuals during the 60-day follow-up, with a third of them saying they felt worse than at the onset of the disease “, can we also read in the analysis of the researchers.
The latest work analyzed by scientists was carried out in China with 1,733 patients six months after the onset of symptoms of the coronavirus. They also found that the majority of patients (76%) suffered from at least one symptom of the condition.
Physical and psychological sequelae appear in “Covid long” patients
According to these studies, the symptoms which appear frequently in patients with “long Covid” are severe fatigue (53.1%), shortness of breath (43.4%), joint pain (27.3%) and chest pain (21.7%). Research has indicated that 55% of patients continue to experience three or more symptoms after being hospitalized.
The “long Covid” would also lead to psychological consequences. The various studies carried out in Europe and analyzed by scientists have revealed that patients with a long form of the coronavirus suffer from psychological distress, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and disorders. concentration and sleep. These signs “were noted in about 30% or more of participants at follow-up.”
“It is very important not to forget the effects on mental health of the long Covid when taking care of the physical symptoms, because one can easily miss it”, specified to theAFP Kartik Sehgal, lead author of the study, medical oncologist and lecturer at Harvard School of Medicine (Boston).
Source: Nature Medicine
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⋙ “Long Covid”: these symptoms which can persist for several weeks after infection
⋙ Long Covid: the recommendations of the Haute Autorité de santé to treat it better