Some COVID-19 patients report lingering effects months after recovery

(The Center Square) – More than a million Illinoisans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and for some, the effects can linger for months.

A new study of patients from a hospital in Wuhan, China, showed that a half-year later, 75% were still struggling with problems like fatigue, reduced lung function and depression.

The study, published in the journal Lancet, involved in-person evaluations of people who had been admitted to the hospital for a median of 14 days from January to May last year. The patients were given physical exams, lab tests and a standard measure of endurance and aerobic capacity test.

Dr. Brittany Busse, of WorkCare, said the effects of the coronavirus primarily involves inflammation.

“What happens with COVID is it primarily acts by inflaming the blood vessels, so some of these after effects we are seeing are related to neurological effects as well as cardiovascular effects,” Busse said.

More than 3,000 people remain in Illinois hospitals with COVID-19, with nearly 400 needing ventilators. In general, patients in the study who needed intensive oxygen support when they were hospitalized were worse off six months later than others who were not as sick. However, even some who did not require additional oxygen were struggling. For example, nearly a quarter of people who did not receive additional oxygen scored below normal in the distance they could walk during a test.

In another study by a patient-led research team looked at 3,762 participants from 56 countries with most not requiring hospitalization for COVID-19. Nearly two-thirds reported symptoms for at least six months, with some reporting fatigue and others experiencing “brain fog,” or difficulty concentrating.

Busse said people can take precautions a person can take if they haven’t contracted COVID-19, or if they already became infected and have since recovered.

“To reduce over inflammation in your body and do that few ways, mostly by trying to increase your baseline health,” Busse said. “Making sure you get regular sleep, moderate physical activities like walking and other light activities to keep your cardiovascular system healthy, and of course, a healthy diet.”

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