Covid sick prolonged. The risk is greater for whom?

Research indicates that one in 20 people infected with the virus are sick for at least eight weeks. There are individual conditions, right from the start, that increase the risk in the same way that there is a pattern in the symptoms that allows to predict who will be sick more or less.

The work of King’s College London was carried out using the data shared by thousands of people in an application called Covid Symptom Study App.

The researchers found that whoever has cough, fatigue, headache, diarrhea and has lost the smell – all potential symptoms of Covid-19 – are at greater risk of suffering from the disease for a longer time.

The fewer symptoms, this study indicates, the less sick time.

The risk, says the BBC, also increases with age – over 50 – and with the fact of being a woman.

“We observed from the data received that the risk of severe illness for men and even death is greater, but it appears that women are at a greater risk of suffering from Covid-19 over a longer period,” said Dr Claire Steves of King’s College London.

This work also indicates that the symptoms of prolonged Covid vary from patient to patient, but the fatigue seems to be a common symptom.

The research also reveals that one in seven people is sick for four weeks. One in 20 for eight weeks. And one in 45 for 12 weeks.

With the information collected, the researchers created a computer program that allows identifying from the outset who will suffer the longest from the disease.

The system, far from being perfect, still managed to successfully identify 69 percent of cases of people who developed Covid over a longer period.

This tool can be very useful to immediately identify the worst cases in order to attack with more aggressive therapies.