INFECTION IS LEAVING BEHIND SERIOUS
A SIGNIFICANT proportion of coronavirus patients are suffering from so-called Long Covid, a study suggests.
Oxford University research found breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety, depression and limited ability to do exercise are felt by many two to three months after they were infected.
And MRI scans revealed that many are left with abnormalities in the lungs, heart, liver and kidneys.
Scans also revealed changes in the brain which were coupled with “impaired cognitive performance”, scientists said.
The study compared 58 people admitted to hospital with 30 people not affected by the virus.
Two to three months after they first showed symptoms, 64 per cent still suffered persistent breathlessness and 55 per cent had significant fatigue.
MRI scans showed abnormalities in the lungs of 60 per cent of those who had been admitted to hospital with Covid-19.
A quarter (26 per cent) had damage to heart tissue, 10 per cent showed signs of liver damage and 29 per cent had kidney abnormalities.
Researchers also detected tissue changes in the brain and the participants also “demonstrated impaired cognitive performance”.
Patients were also more likely to report moderate to severe
anxiety and depression as well as significant impairment to their quality of life.
They also showed “significantly reduced” exercise tolerance, they added.
The paper, published on MedRxiv, concluded: “In Covid-19 survivors, chronic inflammation may underlie multiorgan abnormalities and contribute to impaired quality of life.” Study co-leader, Dr Betty Raman of the Radcliffe department of medicine, said: “Whilst we have found abnormalities in multiple organs, it is difficult to know how much of this was pre-existing, and how much has been caused by Covid-19.
“However, it is interesting to see that the abnormalities detected on MRI and exercise capacity in patients strongly correlated with serum markers of inflammation.
“This suggests a potential link between chronic inflammation and ongoing organ damage among survivors.
“These findings underscore the need to further explore the physiological processes associated with Covid-19 and to develop a holistic, integrated model of clinical care.”