37% of patients with Covid-19 - that is, more than one in three - will continue to have at least one symptom after three to six months, according to a new British scientific study, which confirms that long-term Covid-19 it is not unusual.
Researchers at the University of Oxford and the British Institute for Health Research (NIHR), published in the medical journal PLoS Medicine, studied data on more than 273.000 people infected with the coronavirus. The most common symptoms of the so-called "long Covid-19Have been found to be respiratory problems, abdominal symptoms, fatigue, muscle aches and anxiety or depression.
"The findings confirm that a significant proportion of people of all ages can experience a range of symptoms and difficulties six months after infection. Covid-19The chief researcher, Dr. Max Tuckett, of the NIHR, told the Guardian.
Symptoms that persist for months are more common in those who had a more severe illness and needed treatment, and are somewhat more common in women than in men. The latter, especially the elderly, are more likely to have difficulty breathing as well as cognitive problems, while younger women and women suffer more from headaches, abdominal pain and psychological problems. Those who did not need to be hospitalized are more likely to have headaches later.
In comparison, people with the flu have much rarer lasting symptoms. It is estimated that the symptoms of long Covid-19 is at least 50% more common than the flu infection.
Another British study found that at least one in ten high school students show symptoms of long-term Covid-19. In all, it is estimated that around 970.000 people in Britain suffer from many months of symptoms after Covid-19 and, of these, 384.000 continue to have at least one symptom one year after infection.
The seven symptoms
Seven symptoms can be used to diagnose it Covid-19, especially if it is not possible to perform a relevant test immediately. A new study by researchers at Imperial College London, also published in the journal PLoS Medicine, found that people with all seven of these symptoms were more than 75% more likely to be infected with the coronavirus.
Symptoms are: Loss or loss of sense of smell, loss or disturbance of taste, fever, persistent cough, chills, loss of appetite and muscle aches.
The researchers studied molecular test (PCR) results for 1,15 million people over the age of five. These people were asked about their symptoms a week before the diagnostic test.
Source: RES - EIA