70pc of long Covid sufferers found to have organ damage

TWO in three people with long Covid may be suffering organ damage four months on, research suggests.

The study of young and previously healthy people suggests Covid may have an impact on multiple organs long after the initial infection.

The findings come as the NHS announced plans to set up 43 long Covid clinics, amid warnings that one in 10 sufferers under the age of 50 may suffer symptoms that persist for months.

The new study has tracked around 200 “low-risk” individuals – those who are relatively young and without any major underlying health complaints – with continuing Covid symptoms.

Preliminary data suggest that almost 70 per cent have impairments in one or more organs, including the heart, lungs, liver and pancreas, four months after their initial illness. The scans indicated that one quarter of people had damage in at least two organs, researchers from University College London found.

Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “Long Covid is already having a very serious impact on many people’s lives and could well go on to affect hundreds of thousands. That is why, while treating rising numbers of patients who are sick with the virus and many more who do not have it, the NHS is taking action to address those suffering ongoing health issues.”

The centres will offer care to those displaying persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, “brain fog”, anxiety and stress.

About one in 20 people experience “l ong- haul” symptoms i ncluding fatigue, breathlessness, muscle pain and loss of taste and smell for 12 weeks or more after contracting the virus, a recent study found. This rises to one in 10 under the age of 50, with women more likely than men to be afflicted.