Long-Covid refers to symptoms and complaints that last longer than four weeks after the corona infection. According to a study by the University of Mainz, up to 40 percent of those infected are affected for longer than six months. These symptoms appear.
Most people are now aware that Covid-19 is a serious illness and can take a severe course even in younger and fit people. Mild courses are usually over after two weeks with mild symptoms such as cough, fever and odor disorders. However, there are also a surprising number of cases in which those affected continue to suffer from severe symptoms for weeks or even months that make normal everyday life impossible. But when does one speak of long-Covid, what are the symptoms and how many infected people are affected?
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What is Long Covid?
Until recently, the two terms were mixed up and sometimes used synonymously. However, the German Society for Pneumology (DGP) has now clearly defined the difference in a new guideline . Long-Covid refers to all courses of a Covid-19 disease that go beyond the acute level of four weeks and are associated with ongoing or new symptoms (see below). If the symptoms last longer than 12 weeks and cannot be explained by another diagnosis, this is also referred to as post-Covid-19 syndrome.
Long-Covid: According to the study, 40 percent of those infected with corona are affected
The Gutenberg COVID-19 study by the Mainz University Medical Center has provided new, frightening numbers. Since October 2020, the researchers have examined over 10,000 subjects and found that around 40 percent of all those infected with the coronavirus suffer from symptoms that last longer than six months . The surprising thing is that even those who originally had a mild or symptom-free course are affected. After weeks or months, they then report on long-Covid-like symptoms and the associated restrictions in everyday life.
The data from the Mainz study are considered to be extremely significant – due to the large number of participants and the representative age structure (25 to 88), the results can be transferred to the general population. The researchers found that age was hardly a factor in the occurrence of long-Covid. They were also able to identify gender-specific differences: while 46 percent of women reported long-Covid symptoms, only 35 percent of men were affected. For around a third of all test persons, the performance has been severely restricted by Long-Covid since the infection.
The symptoms of long-Covid
The symptoms of Long-Covid vary greatly from person to person and can even occur more than six months after infection. The most common symptoms recorded so far are:
- Fatigue (unusual exhaustion )
- fatigue
- memory problems
- word-finding disorders
- shortness of breath
- Loss of smell and taste
- Persistent cough
- chest pain
- headache
- Sore throat
- dizziness
- sudden vomiting
In addition to the appearance of these symptoms, various organs can also be damaged in the long term by Long-Covid .
Who is particularly vulnerable to long-term effects?
If the acute Covid-19 disease is severe, the risk of long-Covid is also increased. Data from England shows that around 40 per cent of those with Covid-19 who were admitted to hospital also complained of longer-term symptoms. But other factors also make the long-term consequences of Corona more likely.
The main risk factors are therefore:
- older age,
- higher body mass index ( BMI ),
- female gender.
Long Covid treatment: These therapeutic approaches exist
Since there is still no drug that can cure Covid-19, the question of possible and effective treatment methods also arises in the case of Long-Covid. In clinical and medical care, the measures are currently based on the symptoms, since different organs and organ systems are affected depending on the symptoms. If a sick person suffers from shortness of breath, breathing exercises and switching off irritating factors on the lungs , such as smoking, play a major role. If, on the other hand, the heart is affected and there are cardiac arrhythmias, appropriate medication such as beta blockers can be used.
Numerous clinical studies are currently being carried out to check various therapeutic approaches and their effectiveness in long-Covid. Among other things, sports programs and vitamin supplements for the treatment of chronic exhaustion syndrome (fatigue) are tested. It is also being investigated whether probiotics can stop inflammatory processes in the intestines of those affected in order to restore the microbiome and strengthen the immune system. The researchers hope that long-Covid and post-Covid can be combated more effectively in the future with therapy tailored to the organ symptoms of the individual.
Study: Vaccination could help with long-Covid
A new British preprint study offers cautious optimism for those suffering from long-Covid . In this, 900 long-Covid patients were vaccinated with a corona vaccine and then questioned about the further course. After all, 57 percent of the subjects stated that their symptoms improved after the vaccination. 24 percent found no difference, but 19 percent reported a worsening of their disease progression. The author of the study, Professor Dr. David Strain from the University of Exeter, however, cautiously assesses based on the results “that the vaccination is unlikely to cause any deterioration in those affected and may possibly be beneficial in long Covid.”
Studies show: Sleep disorders are very common in long-Covid
There are now several scientific studies in which patients with long-Covid reported sleep disorders. In a large-scale study at a hospital in Wuhan, 26 percent of 1,733 patients said they had trouble sleeping six months after being discharged from the hospital. In an Italian study with 402 patients , 40 percent of the cases suffered from insomnia . The sleep disorders were particularly common in younger patients, women and people with previous psychiatric illnesses. The cause of the insomnia caused by Long-Covid could be direct effects of the coronavirus on the central nervous systembe. Likewise, the response of the immune system to the viral infection could cause neurological changes and disturb the day-night rhythm.
Loss of smell and taste can last for months
One of the most noticeable and typical symptoms of Covid-19 and Long-Covid is the loss of smell and taste. Some of those affected can no longer perceive sharpness on their tongue. In various studies , between 40 and 80 percent of Covid patients complained about the loss of their sense of smell or taste. Up to 38 percent of those affected report even after five months that their sense of smell or taste is still completely or partially impaired.
The reasons for this have not yet been fully clarified. However, scientists see neurological damage in the nose as the most likely explanation. One hypothesis is that the coronavirus affects nerve cells in the nose , making them unusable. Infection of the olfactory bulbs in the brain is considered unlikely, since the virus only rarely penetrates the brain.
Can long-Covid be predicted?
In addition to gender, age and weight, a new study has now identified other factors that make long- term effects more likely. It says:
The patients who documented more than five symptoms in the first week had a significantly greater risk of still suffering from symptoms after more than a month.
The risk of long-term effects is therefore highest for the symptoms:
- Exhaustion,
- Headache,
- Sleep disorders,
- Hoarseness,
- muscle weakness .
A cross-organ course that affects several parts of the body seems to lead to late effects particularly often. The following symptoms can generally occur with long-Covid.
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Covid-19 is symptom-free for many infected people. However, symptoms can still appear after several weeks – the so-called long Covid. You can tell from these signs whether you have already had Corona!
The most common symptoms of an acute infection with the coronavirus are now known to everyone: cold symptoms , dry cough and loss of smell and taste. But now a study has found that even initially symptom-free patients can still develop symptoms weeks later. Find out here what they are and how you can tell if you have “Long-Covid” !
In addition to the symptoms of Long-Covid, there are also often occurring long-term consequences , which are sometimes permanent damage to certain organs or the entire organism. However, the long-Covid symptoms do not necessarily have to result in serious damage.
Study: These signs appear with long-Covid
Researchers from University College London used 4,182 infected people to examine which symptoms occurred and when. Aside from acute symptoms within the first week, there were also longer-term symptoms that persisted after four, eight, and even twelve weeks. Such symptoms also occurred in those who were initially symptom-free and were unaware of their illness. Therefore, you can use these signs to recognize whether you may have already had Corona without realizing it:
7 symptoms that indicate you already had Corona
If these seven symptoms occur over a longer period of time, they indicate that you have already been infected with the coronavirus. They are arranged in decreasing order of frequency of occurrence:
- Fatigue (unusual exhaustion )
- shortness of breath
- Loss of smell and taste
- Persistent cough
- chest pain
- headache
- Sore throat
Since the course is different for each patient, the symptoms can last longer or shorter. Even symptoms that last longer than a week are referred to as long-Covid . This can even last up to 12 weeks . If the symptoms persist, you should urgently consult a doctor.
Free rapid tests for everyone?
Freely available rapid tests could also soon be a way of finding out about an asymptomatic disease. Then you could get tested immediately if you suspect an infection and wouldn’t have to wait for a lab test or the long-term symptoms. Rapid tests may be made available to everyone free of charge from March 8th . However, many critical voices were raised about the test strategy and its organization:
