A large study published Friday showed that among people infected with Covid-19, one in eight retains one of the symptoms associated with the disease in the long term.
Among these symptoms, according to the study published in the Lancet, the following:
Tummy ache
Difficulty and pain in breathing
muscle pain
Loss of sense of taste or sense of smell
prick
sore throat
hot or cold flashes
Heaviness in arms or legs
general fatigue
3-5 months after injury
The authors concluded that "in 12.7% of patients, these symptoms can be attributed to COVID-19" 3-5 months after infection.
This study, which was conducted in the Netherlands, thanks to its scope and methodology, is an important addition to better understand the risks of protracted COVID-19, which is the persistence of persistent symptoms after infection with the virus.
Currently, some patients are known to have certain protracted symptoms, which cannot be explained solely as psychosomatic disorders, as some physicians initially suggested.
The study included more than 4,000 people infected with Covid, and the responses of these people were compared with the responses of people who did not have this disease, because it is possible to feel one of the symptoms mentioned without Covid being the cause.
In fact, about 9% of those without Covid had any of the previously described symptoms.
The percentage among those previously infected with Covid increases to 21.4%.
Prolonged symptoms
By subtracting the two percentages, the researchers were able to conclude that just over 12% of people who contracted Covid had prolonged symptoms specifically related to the disease.
However, this study is not without flaws, such as not measuring the prevalence of other symptoms associated with prolonged Covid-19, including in particular a case of depression or mental confusion.