As a first step in the largest vaccination campaign in Argentina’s history, front-line health workers receive the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.
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LONDON – The largest global study on “long covid” to date has found that many people suffering from ongoing illnesses after Covid-19 infection cannot return to work at full capacity six months later.
The term “long covid” refers to patients suffering from prolonged illness after the initial onset of the virus, with symptoms that include shortness of breath, migraines and chronic fatigue.
Public discourse on the pandemic has generally tended to focus on those with a severe or fatal illness, with ongoing medical problems either underestimated or misunderstood. However, recent studies have shown that an increasing number of patients with Covid have persistent symptoms, with some patients calling themselves “long carriers”.
A preliminary study published on Tuesday on MedRxiv is considered to be the largest collection of symptoms identified in the long Covid population to date.
In the study, which was not evaluated by colleagues, researchers surveyed 3,762 people between the ages of 18 and 80 in 56 countries to identify symptoms and other problems arising from Covid.
He recorded 205 symptoms in 10 organ systems, with 66 symptoms followed over seven months. On average, respondents showed symptoms from nine organ systems.
What were the results of the study?
The most common symptoms experienced after six months were: fatigue, fatigue after exercise and cognitive dysfunction, sometimes called brain fog.
Respondents with symptoms over six months had an average of 13.8 symptoms in the seventh month, according to the study conducted by members of the Patient-Based Research for COVID-19, a self-organized group of long-term patients who are also researchers.
Over 45% of respondents reported that they needed a reduced work schedule compared to pre-illness and 22.3% said they did not work at the time of the survey due to their health condition. Almost 86% experienced relapses, exercise, mental activity and stress being identified as the main triggers.
The analysis was limited to suspected and confirmed cases of Covid with a disease that lasts more than 28 days and begins before June. This was to allow the examination of symptoms for an average of six months, the researchers said.
A woman wearing a protective mask walks on the pier at Stanley Park on January 4, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada.
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“We must not forget Long Covid,” Dr. Gabriel Scally, president of epidemiology at the Royal Society of Medicine, said Tuesday.
“Thousands of new cases are developing every day. Vaccination is vital, but it must be done effectively and supported by other control measures that Independent Sage has tirelessly advocated,” said Scally, a member of the scientific group that provides scientific advice on pandemic. the British government and the public.
The results of the study come as European countries impose new strict health measures in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
More than 85 million people worldwide have contracted Covid, with 1.85 million deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.