If you have recovered from Covid-19 but are still facing health issues such as fatigue, respiratory problems, and forgetfulness, then you are not alone. Nearly four crore people have experienced these symptoms of long Covid since 2020 in India alone, according to a global study.
A paper — ‘A global systematic analysis of the occurrence, severity, and recovery pattern of long COVID in 2020 and 2021’ published by a group of researchers from various universities across the globe, and from Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD), a collaboration of over 3,600 researchers from 145 countries highlights the need to ensure rehabilitation of those facing long Covid-19. The researchers put various long-term effects of Covid-19 into three categories — fatigue, cognitive problems and ongoing respiratory issues. They found that 144.7 million people experienced one or more of these three symptoms three months after infection, in 2020 and 2021.
Most cases arose from milder infections. Twelve months after infection, recovery was not seen in 15.1% of the cases. They found that the most common long Covid symptom was respiratory trouble (89.3%), followed by post-acute fatigue syndrome (78.9%) and cognitive syndrome (55.2%). They also found that globally, more women (63.2%) than men were affected by long Covid. The paper, which was published on medRxiv (a free online archive and distribution server for complete but unpublished manuscripts in medical, clinical and related health sciences), said a substantial number of people with long Covid need rehabilitative care and support to transition back into workplace or education when symptoms start to wane.
Those with milder acute Covid-19 cases had a quicker estimated recovery 3.99 months than those admitted for acute infection 8.84 months. At 12 months, 15.1 per cent continued to experience long Covid symptoms. The risk of long Covid was found to be greater among females between 20 and 29 years and in those with more severe initial infection. Further, the researchers also found that long Covid also affected “a lower but substantial number of children”, while severe acute infection has been very uncommon at younger ages.
The researchers said these differences suggest that underlying mechanism of long Covid may differ from that of severity of acute infection.“The occurrence of debilitating ongoing symptoms of Covid-19 is common.
Knowing how many people are affected, and for how long, is important to plan for rehabilitative services and support to return to social activities, places of learning, and workplace when symptoms start to wane,” they added.