Four out of ten people do not fully recover from Covid-19

Four out of ten people who had Covid-19 still live with sequelae of the disease. The data are from a study ppublished this Wednesday 12, in the journal Nature Communications, made with almost 100 thousand people in Scotland.

The survey, which investigated the risks of “long Covid”, a term used colloquially to describe the persistence of symptoms of infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, also found that one in twenty individuals who became ill reported not recovering.

According to World Health Organization (WHO)there is still no consensus regarding the definition and timing of symptoms presentation, but the entity itself suggests that the long Covid begins three months after the primary infection of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) point to the initial period after one month.

The study looks at patients who reported some persistent symptoms, such as shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating and palpitations, in surveys six to 18 months after infection, with a rate three times higher than people who did not have Covid-19. These patients also experienced another twenty symptoms related to their heart, respiratory health, muscle pain, mental health, and the sensory system.

However, no greater risks of long-term problems were identified in asymptomatic cases. It was also mentioned, in a limited subset of participants who received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine before infections, that immunization appeared to help reduce, if not eliminate, the risk of some symptoms of long-term Covid.

Jill Pell, a professor of public health at the University of Glasgow, who led the research, said the findings reinforce the importance of supporting Covid-19 patients, and that they extend beyond health care to needs related to jobs, education. , poverty and disability.

Alongside her team, the researcher has tracked 33,000 people who have tested positive for the virus in Scotland as of April 2020, and 63,000 who have never been diagnosed with Covid-19. At six-month intervals, they were asked about any symptoms they had, including tiredness, muscle pain, chest pain and neurological problems, as well as difficulties in daily living. “Covid-19 can manifest itself in different ways in individuals and can have more than one impact on their life,” said Jill. “Any approach to supporting people must first be personalized and also holistic. The answer is not just in the health sector.”