Eight in 10 recovered from Covid-19 will develop at least one persistent symptom – these are the most common

80% of those who overcame COVID-19 experienced at least one of 55 symptoms for up to 112 days after discharge, as a group of Spanish and Mexican scientists found in a meta-analysis published in the digital magazine medRxiv. Of the seven women who make up this Spanish-speaking team, the majority are Mexican and three of them (Talia Wegman Ostrosky, Angélica Cuapio and Carol Perelman) are graduates of UNAM.

After analyzing data from 47,910 people who had already responded, the specialists found that 58% reported permanent fatigue once the condition is over; 44 percent, continuous headaches; on the 27th, memory and concentration problems; on the 25th, hair loss; on the 24th, dyspnea, and on the fourth, loss of smell.

These data can be viewed in the article Over 50 Long-Term Effects of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis which, due to its recent appearance, is barely subject to peer review, but which is yielding results which are now starting to be taken into account by the medical community.

The interest of carrying out this study is due to the fact that, Despite the large number of individuals reporting these conditions, the phenomenon has not been sufficiently studied., which is reflected in the fact that there is no precise term for it, which is why they have come to propose “Long Covid”, “Long Breath Symptoms”, “Acute Post Covid-19” or “Persistent Covid Symptoms”, although for experts the proper definition would be “the long term effects of Covid-19”.

In a similar study, but developed by Chinese scientists and published in the journal The Lancet, it is also noted that observed cases of depression and anxiety in 23% of subjects observed and that a large percentage of them, reported fatigue and muscle weakness, which is consistent with the findings of American Hispanic academics.

“From a clinical point of view, physicians should be attentive to the symptoms, signs and biomarkers present in patients with Covid-19 to identify and avoid its progression, minimize the risk of chronic disease and help restore a state of health similar to that before the body was attacked by the coronavirus, ”the text reads.

However, Researchers point out that an outstanding issue is attributing how much these conditions manifest based on gender, age, co-morbidities, intensity of Covid 19 (from asymptomatic to severe) and the duration of symptoms, “only then can we better understand what is going on.”

Health should not be just physical, but mental

¿Why do a quarter of people who have recovered from coronavirus lose hair ?, is one of the questions asked by researchers, and the answer appears to be linked to post-traumatic stress, which suggests that psychological factors are a crucial aspect to take into account.

“Hair loss could be associated with telogen effluvium, i.e. a stressor or systemic infection leading to premature follicular transitions from the active growth phase to the resting phase. This could last about three months, but if it is not taken into account, it could generate a prolonged state of anxiety and, consequently, mental alterations ”, warns the investigation.

After analyzing tens of thousands of cases, Researchers have calculated that adults are twice as likely to develop a psychiatric disorder as children and adolescents. and that these can result in anxiety disorders, insomnia and dementia, diagnosis and neuropsychiatric intervention are therefore recommended for anyone recovering from the coronavirus.

Therefore, the study suggests that more studies are needed to determine whether these worsened health conditions are due to the coronavirus itself, or to stress derived from treating an unknown disease that has humanity under control and which today adds 2.4 million deaths worldwide. .

The article concludes: “Early diagnosis, prompt management and neuropsychiatric care are most recommended for patients recovering from Covid-19. To better manage this, there needs to be a much deeper understanding of all of these effects in order to design collaborative interventions in multi-specialty clinics that include physical exercise, constant check-ups and cognitive behavioral therapy, if necessary ” .

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