Long Covid is not a new phenomenon. Some patients also take a long time to recover from other viral infections. A new study now shows the differences.
After an acute corona disease, Long Covid symptoms such as exhaustion, depressed mood or breathing problems can persist for four to twelve weeks after the onset of the symptoms. According to the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care, the term Long Covid also includes post-Covid symptoms that last twelve weeks after the Covid-19 disease.
Even people with a mild course of the corona virus can contract Long Covid. However, the associated symptoms in these patients usually disappear after a year. Israeli researchers come to this study result.
Corona viruses and other viruses can damage the body over a long period of time
According to the current state of knowledge, however, the risk of long-term consequences increases with the severity of the corona infection, according to information from the Federal Center for Health Education. There is also evidence that people who have been infected with the corona virus several times have a higher risk of long-term consequences. However, it is not only corona viruses that can damage the body over a long period of time: other viruses are also capable of doing this, as US researchers found out.
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Are there more long-term symptoms after Corona than after other respiratory diseases? This was the question asked by a research team led by Juan Carlos C. Montoy from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. In a study, the researchers compared the information from two groups: study participants with a previous positive corona test and people who had another infection. They concluded: “Persistent symptoms decreased after 12 months; after 12 months, no difference between the groups was detected”.
After one year, 18.3% of the Covid-positive patients still reported symptoms. In the group with a negative PCR test, it was hardly less at 16.1%, quotes that medical journal from the study. Even with the individual symptoms, there were no significant differences between the two groups after twelve months medical journal. Most commonly, patients reported headaches, runny nose, loss of smell, loss of taste, sore throat and hair loss.
When comparing the individual complaints, it was noticeable that both groups suffered from the symptoms mentioned above almost equally often after twelve months. According to the Deutsches Ärzteblatt, severe exhaustion was even more common among patients with a negative test at 6.8 percent than among former Covid 19 patients at 3.5 percent.
More information about the study “Prevalence of Symptoms ≤12 Months After Acute Illness, by COVID-19 Testing Status Among Adults — United States, December 2020–March 2023”
release date: August 11, 2023
investigation period: December 2020 to March 2023
Published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Scope: 1,741 study participants
study authors: US research team led by Juan Carlos C. Montoy from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California in San Francisco
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
This article was created with the help of machines and carefully checked by the editor Juliane Gutmann before publication.
