A study published on Saturday showed that more than three-quarters of the participants who were hospitalized due to “Covid-19”, still had at least one symptom after six months.
The scientists said the study shows the need for further investigation into the ongoing effects of the coronavirus.
The study, which was published in the Lancet medical journal, and in which hundreds of patients participated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is among the few studies that tracked the long-term symptoms of “Covid-19” infection.
It found that fatigue or muscle weakness were the most common symptoms, while patients also reported sleep difficulties.
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“Since Covid-19 is a new disease, we are only beginning to understand some of its long-term effects on patients’ health,” said lead researcher Ben Kao of the National Center for Respiratory Medicine.
The professor said the study highlighted the need for continuous care for patients after they are discharged from hospital, especially those who have had a severe infection.
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“Our work also underscores the importance of conducting longer follow-up studies in larger numbers of the population, in order to understand the full range of the effects that” Covid-19 “can have on people,” he added.
The World Health Organization said the virus poses a risk to some people because of its dangerous and lasting effects – even among young people, and healthy people who have not been hospitalized.
The new study included 1733 patients with “Covid-19” virus, who were discharged from Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan between January and May of last year.
The patients, who had an average age of 57, were visited between June and September and answered questions about their symptoms and health-related quality of life. The researchers also performed physical exams and laboratory tests.
The study found that 76% of patients who participated in the follow-up (1,265 out of 1,555) said they were still experiencing symptoms.
Fatigue or muscle weakness was reported by 63%, while 26% had trouble sleeping.
The study also looked at 94 patients whose antibody levels were recorded in their blood at their peak, as part of another trial.
When these patients were retested after six months, their neutralizing antibody levels were 52.5% lower.
The authors said that this raises concerns about the possibility of a return of “Covid-19” infection, although they said that larger samples are needed to demonstrate how immunity to the virus has changed over time.
In an article also published in The Lancet, Monica Courtenovis, Norberto Brico and Giuseppe Remuzzi of the Mario Negri Institute of the Regional Office for Cancer Research in Italy said that there is uncertainty about the long-term health consequences of the epidemic.
And they said, “Unfortunately, there are few reports on the clinical picture of the effects of” Covid-19 “, adding that the last study was therefore” relevant and timely. “
They also explained that the long-term, interdisciplinary research being conducted in the United States and Britain will help improve understanding and help develop treatments “to mitigate the long-term consequences of” Covid-19 “on multiple organs and tissues.
Source: ScienceAlert
