Coronavirus Two thirds of post-Covid patients still suffer after two years
Two thirds of the patients with post-Covid syndrome examined in a study have barely recovered in the second year after their illness. This was shown by a study of four German university hospitals.
27.01.2025, 05:46
27.01.2025, 05:48
SDA
Two years after infection with SARS-CoV-2, many of those affected continued to have significant, lasting symptoms, the researchers reported on their long-term study of more than 1,500 SARS-CoV-2 infected people. Their findings were published in the journal "Plos Medicine".
The symptoms include, for example, chronic tiredness, also known as fatigue, and rapid exhaustion, memory problems and concentration disorders as well as shortness of breath and chest pain. Inner restlessness, depression and sleep disorders are also common, according to the University Medical Center in Freiburg im Breisgau.
For the Epidemiology of Long Covid (EPILOC) study in Baden-Württemberg, led by the University Medical Center Freiburg, the university hospitals examined more than 1,500 formerly infected people aged between 18 and 65. The university hospitals in Heidelberg, Tübingen and Ulm were also involved.
Causes still unclear
The researchers are still in the dark about the causes of the persistent health problems of Long Covid sufferers. "It is shocking how many formerly infected people still have symptoms and limitations after two years," said study leader Winfried Kern from the Department of Internal Medicine II at the University Medical Center Freiburg.
The expert continued: "A systematic longer follow-up and medical follow-up is necessary to identify factors for improvement or non-recovery of the post-Covid syndrome and relevant disease-causing pathways more precisely." This is the only way to find and develop therapeutically effective intervention approaches.
Investigation in two stages
In phase I of the study - six to twelve months after the acute infection - the researchers had already asked the patients once about post-Covid-19 symptoms.
In phase II of the study, after a further 8.5 months, the researchers compared 983 people aged 18 to 65 years with persistent post-Covid-19 syndrome with a comparison group of 576 people without such problems. All participants underwent extensive objective tests for brain performance, cardiovascular function and blood laboratory tests, as reported in the German Medical Journal.
68 percent still with symptoms
Almost 68 percent of people with post-Covid-19 syndrome still had symptoms in the second year. 35.6 percent reported reduced resilience and states of exhaustion after exertion lasting more than 14 hours. In addition, almost twelve percent of those affected also reported chronic pain.
The Long Covid patients showed reduced grip strength (muscle strength), reduced maximum oxygen uptake and reduced respiratory function.
The crux of the matter for further research: despite the objective presence of lower physical and mental resilience, there were no differences between those affected and those not affected in any of the laboratory tests carried out. However, changes in the interaction between nerve and metabolic functions as well as persistent inflammatory reactions could possibly play a role, according to the researchers.
