The study, led by doctors at the china-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, doubles down on China’s strict COVID Zero strategy while most of the world lifts restrictions.
Two years after being hospitalized with COVID-19, more than half of patients still experience symptoms such as fatigue and sleep disturbances, according to a study in the original epicentre of Wuhan, which underscores the enduring burden of the pandemic. does.
According to a study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, full recovery for those afflicted by the first wave of the virus remains elusive, meaning the patients had worse health than the general population and needed more attention from health care services. was needed.
The findings bring home the challenge of dealing with the aftermath of Covid as millions of people – some of the children and teens – struggle with lingering symptoms that affect everything from mental health to their ability to work and contribute to the economy. Huh.
The study, led by doctors at the china-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, doubles down on China’s stringent Covid Zero strategy while much of the world lift restrictions and attempts to live with the virus.
Original Strain
Although no one yet knows what causes the cluster of symptoms that affect a proportion of people after SARS-CoV-2 infection, the research is probably the longest follow-up to date. And while it may provide insights to add to doctors’ understanding, the patients involved had the original strain of the virus, rather than the variant now in circulation.
Scientists followed 1,192 people hospitalized with COVID at Jin Yin-Tan Hospital in Wuhan in early 2020, checking in with them six months, 12 months and two years after their symptoms began.
The average age of the participants was 57 years, and more than half were male. In the study, their ability to walk for six minutes was assessed, they were tested in laboratory and they answered questionnaires about symptoms, mental health and quality of life. Some also checked their pulmonary function and received chest imaging at each visit.
The results show that timing helped to some extent. After six months, 68% of the study participants reported at least one long-term COVID symptom. By two years, the report had dropped to 55%. The scientists wrote that they intended to monitor patients once a year.
“The negative impact on quality of life, exercise capacity and health care access highlight the importance of studying the pathogenesis of chronic COVID and promoting the search for targeted treatments to manage or alleviate the condition,” they wrote. they wrote.
