For many, catching SARS-CoV-2 means an unpleasant few weeks of aches, coughs, and fatigue. In roughly one in every five cases, however, the discomfort endures for months on end
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What puts some individuals at greater risk of an acute
infection lingering as long
COVID has been far from clear.
A team of experts from across the US analyzed the records of
4,708 US adults infected by SARS-CoV-2 between April 2020 and February 2023.
Around one in five still had difficulties with COVID-19 after
three months – thethreshold for long COVID.
Long COVID was found to be more common in women, and those
with previous cardiovascular disease issues. It was also less common in those
who had been vaccinated, and in people with the less severe Omicron variant of
the infection.
"Our study underscores the important role that
vaccination against COVID has played, not just in reducing the severity of an
infection but also in reducing the risk of long COVID," says Elizabeth
Oelsner, an epidemiologist at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
While some health conditions like chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease and a history of smoking were linked to longer recovery
times, these became insignificant once other risk factors were also factored
in.
Severe infections and longer recovery times were also found
to be more common in American Indian and Alaska Native participants, adding to
what we alreadyknow about racial and ethnic disparities with COVID-19.
Some of these risk factors, including a higher long COVID
risk for females and a lower risk for vaccinated individuals, have been reportedbefore. However, in this sample the researchers didn't find any significant
link to mental health issues – even though long COVID results in some major
changes in the brain.
"Although studies have suggested that many patients
with long COVID experience mental health challenges, we did not find that
depressive symptoms prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection were a major risk factor for
long COVID," says Oelsner.
With a better knowledge of who is most at risk from long
COVID, it becomes easier for researchers to figure out why it's happening in
certain people – and from there what sort of treatments might
be effective against the condition.
As most of the world tries to move on from the pandemic,
millions worldwide with persisting COVID-19 symptoms and society at large stand
to benefit from ongoing
research on the disease.
"Our study clearly establishes that long COVID poses a
substantial personal and societal burden," says Oelsner.
"By identifying who was likely to have experienced a
lengthy recovery, we have a better understanding of who should be involved in
ongoing studies of how to lessen or prevent the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2
infection."
The research has been published in JAMA
Network Open.
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