Long Covid symptoms can last a year after hospitalisation, study finds

The study found women were 1.4 times more likely than men to suffer from fatigue or persistent muscle weakness, and twice as likely to report anxiety or depression. File picture

Some Covid symptoms, including fatigue and shortness of breath, can continue for many patients a year after hospitalisation for the virus, according to a new Chinese study.

The study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, followed nearly 1,300 people hospitalised for Covid between January and May 2020 in the Chinese city of Wuhan – the first area affected by the pandemic.

Researchers found most symptoms had resolved 12 months after hospitalisation, however, about half of survivors still experienced at least one ongoing symptom, most commonly fatigue or muscle weakness.

Shortness of breath

One in three patients still experienced shortness of breath, particularly those who had the most severe incidence of the disease.

Overall, survivors had lower health status at 12 months than people matched from the wider community who had not contracted Covid-19.

The proportion of observed patients with at least one symptom decreased from 68% after six months to 49% after 12 months.

The study also found women were 1.4 times more likely than men to suffer from fatigue or persistent muscle weakness, and twice as likely to report anxiety or depression.

Some 88% of patients who worked before their diagnosis had returned to their jobs a year later.

Professor Bin Cao, from the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, China, said health problems persisted in some patients 12 months after the pandemic.

“Our findings suggest that recovery for some patients will take longer than one year, and this should be taken into account when planning delivery of healthcare services post-pandemic,” he said.

'Modern medical challenge'

In an editorial published alongside the study, The Lancet said long Covid was a “modern medical challenge of the first order”.

"The need to understand and respond to long Covid is increasingly pressing," it said.

Symptoms such as persistent fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog, and depression could debilitate many millions of people globally."

It added: “With no proven treatments or even rehabilitation guidance, long Covid affects people’s ability to resume normal life and their capacity to work."