Whether you believe it or not, long COVID is actually a thing, and finally, all the anecdotal evidence is now backed up with science.
Yay, science!
What is “Long COVID”?
Affecting 1 in 10 patients who recovered from COVID-19, “Long COVID” refers to the range of symptoms that persisted even after 6 months from their initial infection.
These symptoms could include fatigue, dizziness, muscle pain, diarrhea, chest or stomach pain, and insomnia, though persistent cough and shortness of breath are the most common of the lot.
What are the Results of the Study?
Conducted by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), the study includes monitoring a total of 288 acute COVID-19 patients across 4 public hospitals for 6 months after recovery.
Out of the 183-patient cohort, around 75% of them are male and at least 41% of them had at least one comorbidity.
Comorbidity means pre-existing conditions, with the most common comorbidity in the study being hypertension (around 30%) and diabetes mellitus (around 15%).
The study found that out of the 288 recovered patients recruited, only 183 returned for follow-ups.
Of the 183 patients, 16.9% of them, or 31 patients, reported persistent symptoms within the first month, specifically cough and dyspnoea or a feeling of breathlessness.
After 3 months, only 13 patients still reported persistent symptoms, while 14 patients had persistent symptoms after 6 months.
A consultant in NCID who was involved in the study, Dr Barnaby Young said: “We understand from cases who passed on from acute Covid-19 that although the lungs are the major organ affected, the virus actually caused wider damage.”
The damage includes the heart and the inner lining of small blood capillaries as well.
That being said, he added that there are many that we still don’t know about regarding long COVID.
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) is still collecting and compiling information from medical professionals and researchers worldwide about the matter.
Further Study is Warranted
The NCID is currently conducting another study to investigate the long-term inflammatory effects of COVID-19.
This includes other inflammatory-induced complications such as blood clots.
They have been recruiting patients since April and preliminary results will likely come out of the oven within the next 6 months.
Although there isn’t any concrete evidence yet, Dr. Young is convinced that vaccination will help to prevent or at least minimize the effects of long COVID.
It is, after all, an educated guess stemming from how vaccination could greatly lower the rate of hospitalisation or severe symptoms of catching COVID-19 and prevent death.
So make sure to get your jab as soon as you can!
Featured Image: Kobkit Chamchod/ Shutterstock.com