A coronavirus patient in Mexico (illustrative image).
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PEDRO PARDO / AFP
An exhaustion that stretches, several weeks after contracting the disease.
According to a study conducted by the team of Dr Liam Townsend at St James's Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, "fatigue is a common symptom in people with symptomatic Covid-19 infection", regardless of the severity of infection.
But its "consequences remain unexplored".
Of the 128 study participants (mean age: 50), 52% (67 of 128) reported persistent fatigue when assessed an average of ten weeks after their "clinical recovery", regardless of whether was the severity of their initial infection.
In all of these patients, the infection was confirmed by virological testing.
Of the 128, 71 people had been hospitalized and 57 had a mild form.
The origin of these symptoms still unknown
The researchers looked at a variety of factors, such as the severity of the initial illness, pre-existing conditions, and various biological elements (markers of inflammation, etc.).
They found that it made no difference whether a patient was hospitalized or not.
“Fatigue occurred regardless of hospital admission, affecting both groups equally,” says Dr Townsend.
Women who represented a little more than half of the participants in the study (54%), on the other hand represented two thirds of those suffering from persistent fatigue (67%).
People with a history of anxiety or depression were also more likely to experience fatigue.
For the authors, more research is needed to assess the long-term impact of Covid-19 on patients.
More and more "long Covid"
"Our results demonstrate a significant burden of post-viral fatigue in people who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection after the acute phase of the disease," they point out.
They advocate "early intervention" and the use of "non-pharmacological" methods for managing fatigue tailored to individual patient needs.
“We are seeing more and more evidence of 'Covid long', and fatigue is one of the most frequently reported side effects,” comments Dr Michael Head of the University of Southampton.
"The emerging scale of the 'long Covid' is why it is important to reduce community transmission, even among younger groups of people who are not immediately seriously ill," he said.
6 months of covid today, 1/2 year is so long ... And no health problem before 🙏🤞 # apresj20 #covidlong
- Popo 🌹 (@ThatsPauline_) September 13, 2020
Back to infectiologist appointment today, 6 months in 2 days.
I am offered a PCR and a serology.
When will we see real support for long covid patients who did not have the opportunity to be tested in March?
I'm exhausted, washed out, tired # afterJ20 #covidlong
- Popo 🌹 (@ThatsPauline_) September 10, 2020
#covidlong
I had gradual improvement in the disease after 4-5 months, then more symptoms since early August.
I thought I was out of it and had a big relapse yesterday.
- Morel-Fourrier (@FourrierMorel) September 17, 2020
Large #longCovid and #Covidlong communities have formed on social media of people complaining of persistent symptoms, especially fatigue, more than a month after falling ill.
The study, still preliminary, will be detailed at the congress of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases organized online from September 23 to 25 and devoted to Covid-19 (ECCVID).
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