"Long Covid": French study reveals the profile of patients affected by a prolonged form of the disease
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According to a recent study by the Hôtel-Dieu hospital, 30% of patients infected with Covid-19 are affected by long forms. Researchers have produced a composite portrait of these patients.
Intense cough, severe fatigue, neurological problems, skin rashes. Some patients still have symptoms of the coronavirus several months after infection. The scientific community has renamed them "Long Covid". A study from the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris suggests that they represent almost 30% of patients.
What is the profile of patients affected by a "long Covid"?
For the purposes of the study, the researchers looked at nearly 70 patients affected by Covid-19. They managed to draw a typical profile of patients with long forms of coronavirus: they are young, most often women, who have developed a mild form of the disease.
According to Professor Dominique Salmon-Céron, head of the study, three symptoms usually recur in "Long Covid". "First, an often overwhelming tiredness, sometimes forcing them to interrupt their work again when they had resumed it. Then we have the neurological signs of problems with concentration, memory and also headaches. Lastly, we have cardiothoracic signs. , that is, cough, pain, variations in heart rate ", explained the infectious diseases specialist to Europe 1.
Covid-19: symptoms that persist for several months after infection
Other research has also been done to study these forms of "persistent Covid". At the end of March, Dr. Claire Steves and Pr Tim Spector followed 4,182 participants. The volunteers described their symptoms and released the results of their screening tests on a UK platform called "Covid Symptom Study Apply." According to the results of the study, published on the Royal College London website, one in twenty people experiences symptoms of the coronavirus for more than eight weeks.
Covid-19 manifests itself with various symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, body aches, fatigue, diarrhea, or loss of taste and smell. "Having more than five manifestations in the first week is one of the risk factors for a prolonged form of the disease," Dr. Claire Stevens told the BBC.
Covid-19: women most affected by long forms
During the study, the researchers also attempted to establish a typical profile of patients who develop a long form of Covid-19. According to their results, it is women over 50 with asthma or respiratory diseases who develop long forms. Scientists say that patients may have respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) or damage to the brain, heart, or intestines for several weeks.
"We have seen in recent data that if men are much more likely to become seriously ill and die from Covid-19, women are the ones who are sick the longest," added Claire Steves, adding "It is important to identify these people and provide them with preventive strategies. Making sure they get the care they need to heal is also crucial. "
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