ANP
NOS News•
According to research in the Rijnmond region, the vast majority of admitted corona patients are dealing with lung covid. Of the participating ex-patients, 92 percent still suffered from complaints one year after admission to hospital.
Pain, shortness of breath after exertion, severe fatigue and memory and concentration problems are often mentioned. According to the researchers, the results underline the large scale and impact of long-term corona complaints.
“What is striking is that there is virtually no improvement in the complaints. These are persistent complaints that have a great impact on the quality of life and apparently do not respond well to the current treatment offer,” says research leader and lung specialist Merel Hellemons of Erasmus MC.
The study points to major differences between ex-patients who have or have not been in hospital. Earlier this month, research among 13,000 people in the Northern Netherlands showed that one in eight participants suffers from complaints three to five months after being infected with corona. RIVM reported in June that half of the patients still had complaints three months after infection.
Those percentages are much higher in the research published today, which is purely aimed at ex-patients who have been in a hospital bed. Three months after admission, 97 percent still had at least one complaint. After six months this was 95.5 percent and after one year 92 percent still had complaints.
No difference between ICU and nursing ward
The researchers found no difference between former ICU patients and people who had only been admitted to a nursing ward. No clear explanation has been found as to why many ex-patients continue to struggle with the consequences of the disease. The scientists are therefore calling for more research into lung covid.
Rehabilitation helps to recover physically after an infection with the corona virus, is also one of the conclusions in the report. In terms of muscle strength and condition, the convalescent patients recovered well, even the people with the most severe complaints when admitted to hospital. But fatigue and cognitive problems proved persistent in the study group.
“The long-term effects of Covid-19 are underestimated. Rehabilitation helps on a physical level, but the other persistent complaints ensure that people can no longer resume their daily lives,” says Hellemons.