Most long-term people with coronavirus started with mild cases, new study shows

▶ Watch video: Millions have long suffered from COVID while scientists search for answers

Sarah Wulf Hanson is the Principal Research Scientist of Global Health Metrics at the University of Washington and Theo Vos is Professor of Health Metrics Science at the University of Washington.

big idea

even mild COVID-19 (new coronavirus infectious disease) Cases can have significant and long-term effects on people’s health. This is one of our key findings. Recent multilateral research Long COVID-19 – or long COVID – was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

long covid It is defined as the persistence or onset of symptoms 3 months after initial infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These symptoms persist for at least 2 months after onset without any other explanation.

We found that a staggering 90% of people with long-term COVID-19 initially experienced only mild symptoms. However, after a prolonged period of COVID-19, the general population experiences symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive impairment such as brain fog, or a combination of these, affecting daily functioning. rice field. These symptoms had health consequences as severe as the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury: Our study found that women were twice as likely as men to develop COVID over the long term. was found to be four times her risk of being a child.

We analyzed data from 54 studies reporting on more than 1 million people in 22 countries who experienced symptoms of COVID-19. Count the number of people infected with COVID-19, develop new long-term clusters of her COVID-19 symptoms due to COVID-19, and be ill based on age, sex, and whether she was hospitalized with COVID-19 determined how the risk of developing

We found that patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 had a higher risk of developing long-lasting COVID and prolonged symptoms compared to those who were not hospitalized. However, because the majority of COVID-19 cases do not require hospitalization, more long-lasting cases of her COVID have occurred from these mild cases, despite the low risk. Our study found that among all people long-term with COVID, nearly 1 in 7 of her still experienced these symptoms a year after her, and researchers found that these It is not yet known how many of these cases may become chronic.

why it matters

Little is known about long COVID compared to COVID-19.

A systematic analysis of this situation across countries reveals that the human and economic costs of prolonged COVID-19 around the world could be significantly higher. Many people living with the condition adults of working ageBeing unable to work for months can cause people to lose their income, livelihood and housing. Parents and caregivers living with COVID-19 for an extended period of time may be unable to care for their loved ones.

Based on the long-term prevalence and severity of COVID, we believe people are unable to work, leading to labor shortages. Even the long COVID people who lose their jobs It has disproportionately affected women.

We believe that finding effective and affordable treatments for people living longer with COVID is a priority for researchers and research funders.A long COVID clinic has opened provide professional carebut the treatments they offer are limited, inconsistent, and can be expensive.

what’s next

The long COVID is a complex and dynamic state. Some symptoms disappear, then recur, and new symptoms appear. But researchers still don’t know why.

Our research focused on the three most common symptoms associated with long-term COVID that affect daily functioning, including, among others, loss of smell and taste, insomnia, Symptoms such as gastrointestinal problems, headaches, etc. may also be included.

There are many open questions about what makes people more susceptible to long-term COVID.For example, how do they differ Risk factorDoes smoking and a high body mass index, including smoking, affect a person’s chances of developing this condition? reinfected Does using SARS-CoV-2 change long-term COVID risk? Also, it is unclear how long-term COVID protection changes over time after a person becomes infected got vaccinated Or boosted against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 variant also presents new puzzles. Researchers know that Omicron variants are less lethal than previous strains.first evidence shows Low risk of long-term COVID It’s from Omicron compared to previous stocks, but much more data is needed.

Most of the people we surveyed were infected with the more deadly variant that was circulating before Omicron became dominant. global burden of disease To get a clearer picture of how the long-term toll of COVID-19 has changed since Omicron arrived, make estimates of deaths and disabilities from all diseases and injuries in all countries of the world. the study.

This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.