A new study has indicated that more than half of the patients and staff with COVID-19 monitored in an Irish hospital complained of persistent fatigue after recovering from the disease.
According to a News18 report, the study examined cases of 128 participants who were admitted to the St James’ Hospital. It was found that almost 52 per cent of the patients exhibited persistent fatigue for an average of ten weeks after their clinical recovery. This lingering symptom was found to be independent of how severe the case of infection had been.
“Whilst the presenting features of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been well-characterised, the medium- and long-term consequences of infection remain unexplored.”Liam Townsend, St James’s Hospital and Trinity Translational Medicine Institute
The preliminary study included 71 patients who had been admitted to the hospital, along with 57 healthcare workers with a mild infection. The average age of the participants was 50.
The study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, examined a variety of plausible factors, such as the severity of the initial illness and pre-existing conditions such as depression.
The reseachers found that women, despite making up just over half of the participants (54 per cent), accounted for only about two-thirds of those who reported persistent fatigue (67 per cent). Patients with a history of anxiety or depression were also found to be more likely to have fatigue.
It, however, made no difference whether a patient had been hospitalised or not.
The researchers concluded that more studies are required to examine the long-term impact of COVID-19 in patients.
“Our findings demonstrate a significant burden of post-viral fatigue in individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection after the acute phase of Covid-19 illness.”Study Authors
(With inputs from News18)
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