Long Covid could be longer – and more severe – than we thought, study finds
- Lingering symptoms of the disease affect 10 per cent of patients, researchers say
- Data shows that long Covid symptoms can last more than a year
It is estimated that tens of millions of people worldwide are suffering with symptoms that have come to be known as long Covid.
According to a new study by a group of researchers from the United States, the impact of long Covid – or post-Covid conditions (PCC) – may be more severe than earlier thought.
The review was carried out by two researchers from the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, and two other researchers from the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.
They estimated that 10 per cent of the 651 million documented Covid-19 cases around the world – at least 65 million people – have long Covid.
They quoted other studies suggesting that 10 to 30 per cent of non-hospitalised coronavirus cases would develop long Covid. The percentage increased to 50 to 70 per cent for hospitalised cases.
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However, the study did not clarify the definition of long Covid, and some of the findings contradicted those of previous studies.