Recent studies on long COVID-19 have quantified the infection's effect on the brain and offered more information on how long symptoms may last.
Here are three studies on long COVID-19 Becker's has covered since May 4, starting with the most recent:
1. Seventy-five percent of patients with post-COVID-19 conditions weren't hospitalized during their acute illness, a study published May 19 from FAIR Health found. The findings are based on private claims data from 78,252 patients diagnosed with the official ICD-10 diagnostic code for post-COVID-19 conditions, which became effective Oct. 1, 2021.
2. Fifty-five percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients still have at least one symptom two years later, according to findings based on an analysis of more than 1,000 patients published May 11 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Researchers are calling it the longest follow-up study to date. More than 1,000 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Wuhan, China, with COVID-19 in 2020 were involved in the study. Follow-up health assessments were conducted six months, a year and two years after discharge.
3. Researchers in London estimate the cognitive impairment caused by severe COVID-19 is equivalent to 20 years of aging or the loss of 10 IQ points, according to a study involving 46 patients. Cognitive effects on memory, attention or problem solving were strongest among patients who required mechanical ventilation. The findings also found deficits were still detectable six months after acute illness.