More than two years after the start of the COVID pandemic, researchers are still learning what the long-term consequences might be.
A new study found that the risk of suffering long COVID symptoms remains elevated, even years after that initial infection. Researchers analyzed hospital data for 1.25 million patients two years after their COVID diagnosis and compared them with a closely matched group of people who had a different respiratory infection.
They found even two years later, the adults who had COVID had a higher risk of developing seizure disorders, brain fog, dementia and other mental health conditions. Children who had recovered from COVID had an increased risk of epilepsy, seizures, encephalitis and nerve disorders.
As more and more people catch COVID, new long-aul symptoms continue to be reported. Doctors said the most common are fatigue and breathlessness.
Dr. Michael Ghobrial, a Cleveland Clinic pulmonologist, said when it comes to treating symptoms there is no one-size fits all treatment plan.
“Their improvement in their symptoms is not on a day-to-day basis, it’s more on a week-to-week, month-to-month, that they are noting that they are better. This week compared to last week,” Ghobrial said.
It’s still not clear why some people suffer long-COVID symptoms and others don’t. The CDC said long-COVID does tend to be more common in patients who develop severe COVID, those with underlying health problems and people who are not vaccinated.
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