As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, it became clear that many survivors, including mild cases, were able to resolve a variety of health problems after the initial infection subsided. Researchers from the University Of Washington School Of Medicine in St. Louis have found that survivors of COVID-19 (including those who are not sick enough to be hospitalized) carry the burden of this disease till the end of their lives. The study, which involved more than 87,000 COVID-19 patients and nearly 5 million control patients in the federal database, was published online in Nature on April 22.

The researchers confirmed that long-term COVID-19 was originally a respiratory virus, but it can affect almost every organ system in the body. By evaluating 379 diagnoses of diseases that may be associated with COVID-19, 380 classes of prescription drugs, and 62 laboratory tests performed, the researchers found patients with COVID-19 had an effect on almost all organs. They identified these problems :

Respiratory System: persistent cough, shortness of breath, low blood oxygen levels.

Nervous System: stroke, headache, memory problems, problems with taste and smell.

Mental Health: anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, substance abuse.

Metabolism: New diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol.

Cardiovascular System: acute coronary heart disease, heart failure, palpitations, arrhythmia.

Gastrointestinal System: constipation, diarrhea, gastric acid reflux disease.

Kidney: Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease that may require dialysis in severe cases.

Coagulation Regulation: blood clots in the legs and lungs.

Skin: Rash and hair loss.

Musculoskeletal System: joint pain and weakness.

General Health: malaise, malaise, anemia.

No survivor has suffered from all of these problems, but many have developed different groups of problems that have a significant impact on health and quality of life.

The analysis showed that, among hospitalized patients, those infected with COVID-19 were significantly worse than those infected with influenza. COVID-19 survivors had a 50% higher risk of death compared to influenza survivors, with approximately 29 deaths per 1,000 patients after 6 months. Survivors of COVID-19 were also at significantly higher risk of long-term medical problems. In addition, the researchers found that COVID-19’s health risk of survival increases with the severity of the disease, and inpatients require intensive care with the highest risk of complications and death in the long term of COVID-19.