By Ernie Mundell
HealthDay reporter
MONDAY, Jan 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Concerns about “long-haul” symptoms in COVID-19 survivors may be resuscitated by a new study: It found 3 out of 4 patients from Wuhan, China – where the pandemic originated – Still had at least one ongoing health problem six months later.
The study from China included more than 1,700 patients diagnosed with the virus in Wuhan between January and May, and then through June and September.
Researchers report that 76% of these patients had at least one symptom six months after symptoms began.
The most common symptoms were fatigue or muscle weakness (63%), as well as insomnia (26%) and anxiety or depression (23%).
“With COVID-19 being such a new disease, we are only just beginning to understand some of its long-term effects on patient health,” said researcher Dr. Bin Cao from the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University, both in Beijing. His team published the results in The Lancet Journal on January 8th.
“Our analysis shows that most patients continue to live with at least some effects of the virus after leaving the hospital, and shows that care is needed after discharge, especially for those with severe infections,” Cao said in one Magazine release. “Our work also underscores the importance of conducting longer follow-up studies in larger populations to understand the full spectrum of the effects of COVID-19 on humans.”
People who were more seriously ill with COVID-19 were more likely to have impaired lung function six months after symptoms began, as well as chest x-ray abnormalities that could indicate organ damage, the Chinese researchers said.
The kidneys were also often affected. Based on laboratory tests, about 13% of patients who had normal kidney function during their hospital stay showed decreased kidney function after recovering from COVID-19, the researchers said.
A US expert said the “recovery” from COVID-19 is an ongoing story.
“‘Long COVID’ is an evolving syndrome. While the constellation of previous associated symptoms is pretty well described, little is known about long-term results,” said Dr. Thomas Gut, Associate Chair of Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. And he’s seen similar problems with patients in his hospital.
continuation
“As noted in this study, the vast majority of patients in our post-COVID recovery center are affected by complaints of fatigue or brain fog, both of which have features of overlap with the complaints seen in this study,” Gut said.
“Many of our patients either report new symptoms since COVID or have significantly worsened symptoms,” he noted. “Most of our patients experience gradual improvement in symptoms over time, but some have persistent effects for almost a year after infection. For many patients, even after extensive testing and even less clear-cut treatment, there is little clear explanation for theirs persistent symptoms options at this point. “
Another expert believes that health centers need to be prepared for a wave of long COVID patients.
“There will be a wave of long-term COVID patients entering our medical systems who will require ongoing care and rehabilitation,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “We not only have to plan this by developing centers of excellence, but also provide the necessary federal funding for research and care for these patients.”
Aside from the physical problems that have emerged after COVID, there is a “psychological burden to recovery that directly affects how people can get back to life,” Glatter added. “It is important to have adequate resources to support recovery in the painful and long months following an acute infection.”
The Wuhan study also attempted to track survivors’ longer-term immunity to COVID-19. In 94 patients whose immune response was tested at the time of infection, the level of neutralizing antibodies against the new coronavirus fell by more than half (52.5%) after six months.
This finding increases concern about the possibility of survivors becoming infected again with the virus.
“At this point in time, the duration of immunity after COVID-19 infection is unclear,” said Glatter.
However, he cited another study published Thursday in the journal Science which indicates that “natural immunity to COVID-19 can last for up to eight months, making the potential for re-infection less likely. And various.” Types of T cells. “
continuation
But all of this means vaccination is still essential even for people who have already had COVID-19, Glatter said.
“We still don’t know the full picture of longer-term immunity, which is why vaccination is an integral part of the public health approach to tackling this pandemic,” he said. “The vaccine is safe, effective, and the most effective way to achieve herd immunity.”
Herd immunity occurs when enough people (approximately 70%) in a population have gained immunity to a virus, effectively stopping its further spread.
More information
For more information on COVID-19, see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Thomas Gut, DO, Associate Chair, Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital, New York City; Robert Glatter, MD, emergency physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; The Lancet, press release January 8, 2021
HealthDay WebMD News
Copyright © 2013-2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Comments are closed.