Long-term symptoms 23 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a recently posted article open forum infectionsscientists analyzed the symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which lasts 23 months after infection.

Background

In the two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 572 million confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported worldwide. Additionally, there may be many more cases of his COVID-19 that have gone undetected. Meanwhile, numerous studies have shown that the long-term effects of COVID-19 (also known as long-term COVID) could have a significant impact on global public health and healthcare burdens. Nonetheless, the long duration of COVID is still unknown, as most studies show that patients still have discernible signs and symptoms at the last evaluation, approximately 12 months after infection.

In a prospective cohort of 180 subjects, most of whom were not hospitalized, the authors of this study previously detailed the prevalence of symptoms 4 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and more than half of the subjects Experiencing persistent symptoms.

About research

In the current prospective study, the scientists examined the same study population previously evaluated over a four-month period. COVID-19 symptoms 23 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The team invited all patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the Faroe Islands between March 2020 and April 2020 to participate in the study. In addition, 180 subjects were interviewed by telephone and evaluated their symptoms using validated questionnaires. Additionally, all study volunteers gave their informed consent prior to enrollment. The final follow-up was performed from November 2021 until he was 19–23 months from onset to January 2022.

The researchers asked questions about memory, recovery, and concentration only at the final follow-up because the chronic neurological effects of COVID-19 were unknown at the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. They also asked participants about their concentration and memory problems before COVID-19.

result

Overall, the study results show that more than one-third of COVID-19 patients from spring 2020 reported persistent symptoms more than two years after acute infection. However, 76% of his volunteers claimed to have fully recovered, and some had at least one SARS-CoV-2 symptom during follow-up. Some people with chronic symptoms of COVID-19 reported full recovery, while 2% reported not recovering and 22% reported not recovering completely.

Fatigue, gustatory changes, and olfactory changes were the most common persistent symptoms, as well as in the acute phase and 4-month follow-up. In addition, common symptoms included poor concentration and memory, which the team questioned subjects only at the final follow-up.

Most subjects described mild or few symptoms, but 7% reported three or more symptoms, and 4% rated them as interfering with their daily lives, most notably memory impairment and fatigue. I still had symptoms. Chronic symptoms of COVID-19 were less common in children than in adults. What’s more, in the current study, headache was the most common symptom across children, and none reported impairment of taste or smell.

Notably, the long-term COVID prevalence estimates provided by the current study were slightly lower, but were consistent with several studies looking at long-term COVID up to 1 year after infection. evaluation showed that symptoms continued but not to the same extent. The team said differences between studies may be due to methodological issues. Other possible causal factors included the subjective nature of symptoms and the influence of cultural and psychological variables.

The study data are consistent with previously published studies, which showed that age and number of acute symptoms are indicators of long-lasting COVID. In addition, a tendency to smoke with high body mass index (BMI) and prolonged COVID was observed. The acute phase was still a good indicator of the long-term effects of COVID-19, according to the correlation between the number of acute phase symptoms and his likelihood of COVID-19 in the long term. This reasoning was applicable even when disease was relatively mild, as in the current study, which includes mostly non-hospitalized participants.

Conclusion

According to the authors, no other study has documented symptoms more than a year after COVID-19.

The findings show that 38% of 170 patients observed for an average of 22.6 months had prolonged COVID symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue, changes in taste and smell, and poor concentration and memory. Older age and the number of acute phase symptoms were indicators of longer COVID. The team said her long-running COVID could take months, possibly years, to resolve.

In summary, the current findings highlight a significant clinical and public health problem, with approximately one-third of mostly non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients suffering from acute infection for more than two years Despite persistent symptoms, the initial disease course was relatively mild. step. More studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of her COVID-19 associated with the new virus variant and the potential protective effects of COVID vaccination.