According to a study published in The Lancet, two years after infection with Covid-19, about 55% of those hospitalized still have at least one symptom of the disease.

The study, conducted at Jin Yin-tan Hospital in Wuhan (China), included 1,192 patients who needed hospital treatment between January and May 2020 at the start of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Experts followed their evolution six months, one year, and two years after discharge and found that their mental and physical health improved over time, regardless of the severity of the illness.

55% reported the presence of at least one covid-19 symptom two years later, compared to 68% detected six months later.

The study shows that despite their physical and psychological progress, patients with the disease tend to have worse health status and quality of life than the general population.

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This condition greatly affects people who are hospitalized with long-term covid and still have at least one symptom, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and sleep disturbances, two years after discharge.

“Our findings suggest that more than two years are needed for a certain proportion of hospitalized patients who have recovered from Covid to fully recover,” explains Bin Cao, lead author of this study and a professor at the Sino-Japan Friendship Hospital (China). . . .

In light of these results, he says, “it is clear that there is a need to provide ongoing support” to survivors and “understand how vaccines, new treatments and variants affect long-term health.”

Of the participants in this study, 52% (average discharged at age 57) reported fatigue or muscle weakness as the most common symptom at six months, compared to 30% at two years.

Similarly, regardless of severity, 89% resumed work activities after two years, notes the report, which refers to other post-Covid symptoms such as joint pain, palpitations, dizziness and headaches.

Regarding quality of life, 23% of the questionnaires reported the presence of “pain or discomfort”, while 12% reported symptoms of “anxiety or depression”.

Long-term COVID patients also reported mobility problems (5%) and decreased activity levels (4%).