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Long Covid

More from John's Hopkins on Long Covid

LONG COVID/PASC In the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are beginning to learn more about post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), commonly known as long COVID. The condition—characterized by a broad range of symptoms lasting anywhere from 4 weeks to 2 years or longer—could prove one of the biggest hurdles to pandemic recovery. Estimates of the proportion of people who have had COVID-19 and continue to experience symptoms range from 5% to 80%, although the WHO puts the range at 10% to 20%. Results from a large study published this week in the US CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) estimates that 1 in 5 COVID-19 survivors aged 18-64 and 1 in 4 survivors aged 65 or older experienced at least 1 of 26 conditions often attributable to long COVID at 30 days and up to 1 year following diagnosis. Both age groups had twice the risk of uninfected people of developing respiratory symptoms or other lung problems, including pulmonary embolism. The older cohort was at greater risk than the younger group to develop kidney failure, neurological conditions, and mental health conditions. The authors of the study, members of the CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, encouraged people who survive COVID-19 to undergo routine assessment for post-COVID conditions.

Another study, published in Nature Medicine on May 23, found that 1 in 8 adults who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed myocarditis 28 to 60 days post-discharge, and many COVID-19 survivors experienced reduced exercise capacity, lower quality of life, and persistent abnormalities in heart, lung, and kidney exams. The researchers said study participants’ post-COVID conditions were more closely correlated with the severity of their COVID-19 infection, not their underlying health condition prior to infection, and they cautioned these persistent health problems could place a substantial demand on healthcare services in the future, as more people survive COVID-19.
 
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