Long Covid: more than 40 per cent of coronavirus patients still suffer from lingering symptoms, Hong Kong study shows
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University tested 118 patients with aerobic and muscle endurance exercises to improve fatigue levels, symptoms of ‘long Covid’
- Fatigue from long Covid more common among women, with 50 per cent of those in study reporting symptoms, compared with 30 per cent among men
More than 40 per cent of people infected with the coronavirus still suffer from “long Covid” symptoms within a year of diagnosis, with women more susceptible to the condition, a study by Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has shown.
A total of 118 participants were polled between October 2020 and January 2022, with experts devising a series of aerobic and muscle endurance exercises to improve fatigue levels of long Covid patients. But more time is needed to analyse those who caught the Omicron variant.
Fatigue scores were related to vital capacity and lower muscle strength in 101 subjects within six months of diagnosis. Some 63 respondents also reported fatigue associated with accelerated walking 12 months after their diagnosis.
Fatigue from long Covid was more common among women, with 50 per cent of those in the study reporting symptoms, compared with 30 per cent among men.
The findings were released by PolyU’s department of rehabilitation sciences on Wednesday, with the research aimed at following up on the health status of recovered Covid-19 patients to formulate a rehabilitation programme for lingering symptoms.