More than three-quarters of people hospitalized with COVID-19 still suffered from at least one symptom after six months, according to a new study.
London.- The research, which was published over the weekend in the Lancet medical journal, involved hundreds of patients in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus was first detected.
The report found that fatigue or muscle weakness were the most common symptoms, while people also reported sleeping difficulties. Scientists said the study - among the few to trace the long-term symptoms of COVID-19 - shows the need for further investigation into lingering coronavirus effects.
“Because COVID-19 is such a new disease, we are only beginning to understand some of its long-term effects on patients’ health,” said lead author Bin Cao, of the National Center for Respiratory Medicine. The professor said the research highlighted the need for continuing care for patients after they have been discharged from the hospital, particularly those who have had severe infections.
The new study included 1,733 COVID-19 patients discharged from Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan between January and May last year. Patients, who had an average age of 57, were visited between June and September and answered questions on their symptoms and health-related quality of life.
Researchers also conducted physical examinations and lab tests. The study found that 76 percent of patients who participated in the follow-up (1,265 of 1,655) said they still had symptoms. Fatigue or muscle weakness was reported by 63 percent, while 26 percent had sleep problems.
The study also looked at 94 patients whose blood antibody levels were recorded at the height of the infection as part of another trial. When these patients were retested after six months, their levels of neutralizing antibodies were 52.5 percent lower.
The authors said this raises concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 reinfection, although they said larger samples would be needed to clarify how immunity to the virus changes over time. (RHC)