Long-term Covid: 56% of patients have symptoms for at least two years

BarcelonaAlthough five years have passed since the outbreak of the pandemic, for many people, the coronavirus is still not a thing of the past. Long-term COVID keeps many people trapped in the disease, and in most cases, this means experiencing symptoms for at least two years. This is the minimum amount of time that 56% of people with long-term COVID spend sick, according to a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In fact, There are those affected who, five years later, have not been cured..

The study, based on the monitoring of 2,764 adults, indicates that persistent symptoms affect 23% of those infected between 2021 and 2023. These patients experience respiratory, neurological, digestive, or general problems, such as fatigue. The study's results indicate that being a woman, having had a severe COVID-19 infection, and having a previous chronic illness, such as asthma, are risk factors for developing persistent COVID.

Obesity and elevated IgG antibody levels before vaccination also make a person more susceptible to this disease, which for now remains untreated and severely limits the lives of those who suffer from it. The study, however, indicates protective factors that could reduce the risk of suffering from it. These include vaccination and leading a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity and adequate sleep patterns. The researchers also concluded that the risk was lower in people who became infected after the omicron variant became dominant.

Using the symptoms reported by participants, who completed three questionnaires (2020, 2021, and 2023) and also provided blood samples and medical histories, the researchers identified three subtypes of persistent COVID, depending on whether the symptoms are neurological or muscular.