A new study sheds light on the long-term physical and psychological impacts of COVID-19 on patients who survived the initial infection. Researchers followed 281 discharged COVID-19 patients in Guangdong, China, for over a year, assessing their mental health and organ function. The findings reveal that many patients continued to experience lingering effects, including depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and abnormalities in the liver, heart, kidneys, and lungs. However, the good news is that these sequelae gradually decreased over time. Factors like age, gender, disease severity, and underlying conditions were found to influence the recovery process. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the long-term consequences of COVID-19 and the importance of long-term follow-up and rehabilitation for survivors.
Tracking the Journey of COVID-19 Recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global health crisis, affecting millions of people worldwide. While much attention has been paid to the immediate symptoms and acute phase of the disease, the long-term effects on those who have recovered have been less understood. A team of researchers in China set out to investigate the physical and psychological sequelae, or lingering effects, experienced by COVID-19 patients even after they were discharged from the hospital.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, followed 281 COVID-19 patients in Guangdong province for a full year after their initial infection. The researchers assessed the participants’ mental health using standardized questionnaires, as well as their organ function through laboratory tests and imaging scans.
Gradual Improvement, but Lingering Issues
The results paint a complex picture of the recovery process. In the early stages, a significant proportion of patients exhibited symptoms of depression (14.6%), anxiety (8.9%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (3.6%). Many also showed abnormalities in their liver (24.6%), heart (10%), kidneys (20.6%), and lungs (40.9%).
However, as time passed, these issues gradually improved. By the late stage of the study (24-48 weeks post-discharge), the proportion of patients with depression, anxiety, and PTSD had decreased to 4.6%, 5.3%, and 0.7%, respectively. Similarly, the number of patients with organ function abnormalities had also declined, with 11% showing liver issues, 7.8% heart problems, 11% kidney problems, and 13.5% lung issues.
Risk Factors and Implications
The researchers also identified several risk factors that influenced the recovery process. Older age (over 50 years), male gender, severe COVID-19 illness, longer hospital stays, and underlying health conditions like disease’>cardiovascular disease, and Click Here
