A British study has revealed that the fatigue linked to a long Covid is the manifestation that impacts the daily lives of patients the most.
- We speak of long Covid when at least one of the symptoms persists for more than four weeks after the start of the infection.
- British researchers have studied the impact of long Covid in patients undergoing treatment.
- The fatigue linked to the long Covid would be the symptom that affects daily life the most.
The long Covid results in the prolonged presence of at least one of the symptoms beyond 4 weeks after the onset of the disease. Patients may then suffer from persistent signs such as fatigue, respiratory and digestive disorders, eye problems or abnormalities of the senses.
Long Covid: fatigue is the symptom that impacts patients the most
According to a new study published in the BMJ Open, fatigue is the symptom that affects the daily lives of patients affected by a long Covid the most. Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of Exeter (UK) recently observed that this prolonged form of Covid-19 can affect quality of life more than certain cancers.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists recruited 3,750 patients, who were hospitalized in a specialist Covid-19 clinic and used an application from the British National Health Service (NHS) as part of their treatment. During the research, the volunteers completed questionnaires via the app regarding the impact of the long Covid on their daily activities, their rates of fatigue, depression, anxiety, shortness of breath, brain fog, and their quality of life.
The long Covid would have a “devastating effect” on the quality of life
According to the results, many patients affected by a long Covid had more severe fatigue scores or similar to those of patients suffering from anemia linked to cancer or acute kidney disease. Their health-related quality of life scores were also lower than those of people with advanced metastatic cancer, such as stage IV lung cancer.
“Our results showed that long Covid can have a devastating effect on patients’ lives. With fatigue having the greatest impact on everything from social activities to work, household chores and maintaining close relationships (…) We hope that a better understanding of the symptoms and impact of long Covid in these patients will help the NHS and policy makers target limited resources by adapting existing services and designing new ones to better meet the needs of patients with long Covid,” explained Dr Henry Goodfellow, co-author of the study and and member of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health.
