Women hit hardest as ‘long Covid’ fatigue lasts 10 weeks

Izzy Lyons

LONG Covid hits women the hardest, a study has found, with half of those who were infected with coronavirus suffering from fatigue 10 weeks later.

Researchers examining the longterm side effects of the virus found that women were more likely to suffer from severe tiredness after recovering from Covid-19.

In the study of 128 participants – who had a mean age of 50 and were recruited 10 weeks after their clinical recovery – more than half (52.3 per cent) reported persistent fatigue.

Women accounted for 67 per cent of those suffering with long-term tiredness despite only representing 54 per cent of the patients in the study.

The study, by scientists at Trinity College Dublin’s Translational Medicine Institute, examined the potential the coronavirus has to trigger a postviral fatigue syndrome.

In their findings, the team proposed “non-pharmacological interventions” as a means of tackling the commonly reported symptom, including “lifestyle modification, cognitive behavioural therapy and self-pacing exercise”.

“As the global Covid-19 pandemic continues to grow worldwide, the number of patients recovering, and also experiencing post-infection problems is also growing,” Dr Liam Townsend, the lead author, said.

“Fatigue is a common symptom in those presenting with symptomatic Covid-19 infection. Whilst the presenting features of infection have been well-characterised, the medium and long-term consequences of the infection remain unexplored.”

The study found that there was no association between the severity of a patient’s infection, including whether they needed to be admitted into intensive care, and the fatigue they experienced following their recovery.

Findings also included a higher proportion of fatigue among those who had a history of anxiety and depression, with 13.4 per cent of this group reporting severe tiredness.

Of the patients assessed, 55.5 per cent were admitted into hospital with the virus.

However, the study did not find any correlation between this factor and the impact of long Covid.

The authors concluded: “This study highlights the importance of assessing those recovering from Covid-19 for symptoms of severe fatigue irrespective of severity of initial illness, and may identify a group worthy of further study and early intervention.”