Half Of COVID-19 Survivors Have Lingering Symptoms For 6 Months: Study

More than 50 per cent of people diagnosed with COVID-19 infection experience post-COVID symptoms, called as long COVID, up to six months after recovering, a new study has revealed.

According to the researchers at Penn State College of Medicine in the US, respective governments, health care organisations and public health professionals should be well prepared for the large number of COVID-19 survivors who will require care for various physical and psychological symptoms, The Indian Express reported.

Many COVID patients experience symptoms like fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and loss of taste or smell during the course of their illnesses, the researchers said.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, reviewed 57 reports, including data from 250,351 unvaccinated adults and children diagnosed with COVID-19 from December 2019 to March 2021. Among them, 79 per cent were hospitalised, and most patients (79 per cent) lived in countries with high income. The patients' median age was 54, and most individuals (56 per cent) were male.

The researchers analysed patients' health post-COVID during three intervals at one month (short-term), two to five months (intermediate-term) and six or more months (long-term).

Survivors Experienced Residual Health Issues

The findings revealed that survivors experienced an array of residual health issues linked with COVID-19. These complications affect a patient's general health, mobility or organ systems. Overall, one in two survivors experienced long-term COVID manifestations. The rates remained essentially constant from one month through six or more months after the initial illness.

The study noted several trends among survivors. More than 50 per cent of all patients reported fatigue, weight loss, fever or pain. Hardly one in five survivors experienced a decrease in mobility. About one in four survivors experienced difficulty in concentration or were diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Six in 10 patients had chest imaging abnormality and more than 25 per cent of patients had difficulty breathing.

Chest pain and palpitations were among the most reported conditions. About one in five patients experienced hair loss or rashes. Stomach pain, diarrhoea, lack of appetite and vomiting were among the commonly reported.

"These findings confirm what many health workers and COVID-19 survivors have been claiming, that adverse health effects from the virus can linger," study co-lead investigator Vernon Chinchilli said.

The researchers noted that the mechanisms by which COVID-19 causes lingering symptoms in patients are not fully understood. These symptoms could result from immune-system overdrive triggered by the virus, lingering infection, reinfection or a rising production of autoantibodies — antibodies directed at their own tissues, they said. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the agent that causes COVID-19, can access, enter and live in the nervous system, the researchers said. As a result, nervous system symptoms like taste or smell disorders, memory impairment and decreased attention and concentration commonly occur in survivors, they added.

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