Inexplicable Long COVID

UCL News

"While there has been a lot of public discussion around long COVID, there are few systematic studies investigating this population."

"Hence relatively little is known about its range of symptoms and their progression over time, the severity and expected clinical course, its impact on daily functioning and expected return to baseline health."

"In this unique approach, we have gone directly to 'long haulers' around the world in order to establish a foundation of evidence for medical investigation, improvement of care, and advocacy for the long COVID population. This is the most comprehensive characterization of long COVID symptoms so far."

"For the first time, this study shines a light on the vast spectrum of symptoms, particularly neurological, prevalent and persistent in patients with long COVID."

Dr.Athena Akrami, University College London

"In those who recovered in less than 90 days, the average number of symptoms (11.4 out of 66 symptoms that were measured over time) peaked at week two, and for those who did not recover in 90 days, the average number of symptoms (17.2) peaked at month two. Respondents with symptoms over six months experienced an average of 13.8 symptoms in month seven. During their illness, participants experienced an average of 55.9 symptoms (out of the longer list of 203 measured in the study), across an average of 9.1 organ systems."

University College London Long Hauler Study

Long COVID patients suffered 56 symptoms on average. File pic

After a thorough investigation, a research team gathered sufficient feedback from victims to confidently assess that over 200 symptoms are associated with Long COVID. Symptoms include hallucinations, shingles and bladder control loss, along with a whole spectrum of other life-affecting symptoms. Roughly one individual in seven who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 experience symptoms persisting for over 12 weeks, according to the latest figures from Britain's Office for National Statistics. 

Conclusive data has been difficult to gather, given the long-term nature of the condition, so precisely what the cause is of these long-lasting effects is unknown as is how the condition manifests. A questionnaire was presented by a team of academics led by University College London to over 3,700     COVID "long haulers" out of 56 countries. The questionnaire posed 257 questions asking the subjects to list and describe their symptoms. The study was published in the Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine

According to the synthesized results there are 203 individual symptoms that affect ten different internal organ systems with fatigue turning out to be the most common, and post-exertional malaise and brain fog following. Visual hallucinations, tremors, itchy skin, changes to the menstrual cycle, sexual dysfunction, heart palpitations, bladder control issues, shingles, memory loss, blurred vision, diarrhea and tinnitus round out the list of the most common symptoms. 

With the exception of the study lead, Dr.Akrami, all other study authors had themselves either had a COVID infection or they were continuing to grapple with debilitating symptoms. Of those people who have had long COVID for over three months, the average number of symptoms turned out to be 17, with most people adding that their recovery was replete with relapses.

Close to half of those completing the questionnaire -- 45.2 percent -- still had not been able to work the same number of hours that they had been accustomed to ordinarily, prior to becoming ill with the virus. At the time of the survey, 22.3 percent of those involved in the study were not yet returned to the workforce. The Office for National Statistics characterized the condition as "an emerging phenomenon that is not yet fully understood."

The estimation by the ONS, however, is that approximately one million people in the United Kingdom have Long COVID.

"Memory and cognitive dysfunction, experienced by over 85 percent of respondents, were the most pervasive and persisting neurological symptoms, equally common across all ages, and with a substantial impact on work."

"We now believe a national program could be rolled out into communities able to screen, diagnose and treat all those suspected of having long COVID symptoms."

Dr.Athena Akrami, University College London

 

 

Long COVID symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness and ‘brain fog’.

Image: Unsplash/ Bermix Studio