Alarming Report: 59% of Long COVID Patients Suffer Organ Damage After One Year

Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), is a condition in which individuals continue to experience symptoms or develop new symptoms after recovering from acute COVID-19 infection. Symptoms of long COVID may be widespread and include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, arthralgia, headache, brain fog, sleep difficulties, and depression or anxiety. According to a recent extensive 12-month study of patients with long COVID19, 59% of patients continued to exhibit organ damage one year after the initial symptoms, including those who were not severely affected at the time of viral diagnosis.

A comprehensive new study shows that 59% of patients with long crowns continue to exhibit organ damage one year after the onset of initial symptoms, even those who were not severely affected when the virus was first diagnosed.

A new comprehensive study of 12-month organ damage in patients with long crown shows that 59% of patients continue to have organ damage one year after the onset of initial symptoms, even those who were not severely affected when the infection was first diagnosed.

The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, focused on patients reporting extreme respiratory distress, cognitive dysfunction and poor health-related quality of life; 536 long-crown patients were included in the study. 13% were hospitalized at the time of first diagnosis of COVID-19, while 32% of those participating in the study were health care workers.

Of the 536 patients, 331 (62%) were identified with organ damage six months after the initial diagnosis. These patients underwent a 40-minute multi-organ MRI scan (Perspectum's CoverScan) six months later and were analyzed in Oxford.

The results of the study confirmed that 29% of patients with long COVID had multi-organ damage, with persistent symptoms and functional decline at six and 12 months. 59% of patients with long COVID had single organ damage 12 months after initial diagnosis.

The researchers said the underlying mechanism of long COVID remains elusive, and they found no evidence of a clearly defined long COVID subtype through symptoms, blood tests or MRI. Future studies must consider the link between symptoms, multi-organ damage and function in larger groups, they said.

Professor Banerjee concluded, "Organ damage in patients with long crown pneumonia has implications for symptoms, quality of life and long-term health, suggesting the need for preventive and comprehensive care for patients with long crown pneumonia."