For some people who have recovered from the flu, increased fatigue, frequent headaches, difficulty breathing, and unhealthy agitation can persist for a long time. According to a group of experts at the University of Oxford, all of these symptoms are sometimes observed as long as six months after recovery. Interest in this topic arose in connection with the “long COVID” phenomenon. It was found that other viruses could cause similar symptoms.
Two groups of 100,000 people each, mostly in the United States, were included in the statistical analysis. Participants in one group had Covid-19, while the other group had the common flu. In the first group, 42% of patients sought medical attention for prolonged complications, compared with 30% in the second group. According to the Oxford analysts, this difference is largely due to the fact that people who have had Covid-19 are more concerned about their health. “Many of us know from personal experience that after the flu, normal well-being does not return as quickly as we would like and hope,” said one of the study leaders, Professor Paul Harrison. The material, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, does not include data on the severity of the reported symptoms or whether they were constant or intermittent. “Complications after the flu have not received enough attention,” said Dr. Max Take, another participant in the study.
We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. эпизоды – Episodes End of story: Podcast Advertising. “Long Covid” is a relatively poorly understood condition that still lacks a consistent definition or list of symptoms.
In the UK, for example, it is used to refer to any case of covid-19 in which at least one symptom of infection persists in the patient four weeks or more after recovery (i.e., when tests no longer detect the virus in the body). For some people, the prolonged illness is mild and causes almost no discomfort, while for others it becomes so debilitating that it robs them of the ability to return to work and sometimes even to care for themselves. Among the most common complaints are shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, loss of smell or taste; in the most severe cases, patients may experience serious, sometimes irreversible damage to internal organs. There have also been cases where those who have recovered have experienced loss of sensation in their limbs and even vision.
A study published last week by the UK Office for National Statistics shows that the risk of “long COVID” has long been overestimated: on average, only one in 40 people with COVID-19 suffers from it. This is four times less common than previously thought. The authors of another study, published in The Lancet in early September, concluded that vaccination against the virus can reduce the likelihood of long-term disease by half. Complications are more common in women, people over the age of 50, people with concomitant chronic diseases, and people with higher levels of the virus in the blood during the disease.
In Russia, the Minister of Health, Mikhail Murashko, recently expressed his opinion on “long COVID”. On August 31, he called on regional authorities to work on early detection of such patients through comprehensive medical examinations. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced during the last “Direct Line” session at the end of June that the Russian authorities have launched a program for comprehensive rehabilitation of people who have experienced severe cases of COVID-19. Russian citizens who have recovered from COVID-19 will be able to receive comprehensive medical examination and treatment covered by mandatory health insurance until the end of 2023.