Long-term Covid may affect quality of life more than some cancers: Study

Fatigue is the symptom that most affects the daily life of long-term Covid patients, and it may affect quality of life more than some cancers, according to a new study. The study was led by researchers from UCL and the University of Exeter. The research, published in BMJ Open and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), examines the impact of chronic COVID on the lives of over 3,750 patients who were referred to a chronic COVID clinic and used a digital app was used. of his NHS treatment for the condition.

Patients were asked to complete questionnaires on the app about how long Covid was affecting them – long-term effects of Covid on their day-to-day activities, levels of fatigue, depression, anxiety, shortness of breath, brain Looking at the fog and their quality of life.

The researchers found that many long-living COVID patients were extremely unwell and had fatigue scores that were worse or comparable to those of individuals with cancer-related anemia or severe kidney impairment. They also had lower health-related quality of life scores than those with advanced metastatic malignancies, such as stage IV lung cancer.

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Overall, the team found that the long-term effects of Covid on patients’ daily activities were worse in stroke patients and compared to patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Henry Goodfellow, who co-led the study with the late Professor Elizabeth Murray (both from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health), said: “About 17% of people who get Covid develop long-term Covid ” However, the impact of this condition on the daily life of patients is not fully understood.

“Our results found that long-term Covid can have a devastating impact on patients’ lives – with fatigue having the biggest impact on everything from social activities to working, working and maintaining close relationships.”

Long COVID not only negatively impacts patients’ lives on an individual level, but researchers also believe it can have a significant economic and social impact on the country.

To be referred to a protracted COVID clinic, a patient must have symptoms of protracted covid for at least 12 weeks following acute infection. Over 90% of older Covid patients who used the app were of working age (18-65) and 51% said they had been unable to work for at least one day in the past month, with 20% unable to work.

Meanwhile, 71% of the patients were women. As women of working age make up the majority of the health and social care workforce, the prolonged impact of COVID on their ability to work could put additional pressure on already stretched services.

Dr Goodfellow said: “We hope that a better understanding of the symptoms and impact of long COVID in these patients will enable the NHS and policy makers to adapt existing services to target limited resources and better meet the needs of patients with long COVID.” Will help in creating new designs to do.” ,

According to the Office for National Statistics, by July 2022, around 1.4 million people in the UK will have symptoms of long Covid. Along with fatigue, patients commonly experience breathlessness, anxiety, depression, and brain fog.

However, this is the first study to report the impact of the condition on day-to-day functioning and health-related quality of life in patients referred for specialist rehabilitation in long-term COVID clinics across England. Dr Goodfellow said: “Our findings suggest that fatigue should be an important focus for the design of clinical care and rehabilitation services.

“Post-Covid assessment services should focus on assessing and treating fatigue for the long-term recovery and return to work of people with Covid.” Co-author Professor William Henley, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “Long Covid is an invisible condition, and many people are trying to manage significant changes in how they can function.

Shockingly, our research has shown that long-term Covid can leave people with worse fatigue and quality of life than some cancers, yet support and understanding are not at the same level. We urgently need more research to enable the development of evidence-based services to support people trying to manage this debilitating new condition.”