More than 1 in 5 adult Covid survivors in US may develop long Covid, CDC study suggests

One in 5 adult Covid survivors under age 65 in the United States has experienced at least one health condition that could be considered long Covid, according to a large new study the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Among patients 65 and older, the number is even higher: 1 in 4.
In an indication of how seriously the federal health agency views the problem of long Covid, the authors of the study — members of the CDC’s Covid-19 Emergency Response Team — recommended “routine assessment for post-Covid conditions among persons who survive Covid-19.”

Long Covid is the term used to describe an array of symptoms that can last for months or longer after the initial coronavirus infection. The researchers identified post-Covid health problems in many different organ systems, including the heart, lungs and kidneys. Other issues involved blood circulation, the musculoskeletal system and the endocrine system; gastrointestinal conditions, neurological problems and psychiatric symptoms were also identified in the study.

In both age groups, Covid patients had twice the risk of uninfected people of developing respiratory symptoms and lung problems, including pulmonary embolism, the study found. Post-Covid patients ages 65 and older were at greater risk than the younger group of developing kidney failure, neurological conditions and most mental health conditions.
“It is sobering to see the results of this study again confirming the breadth of organ dysfunction and the scale of the problem,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiolog at Washington University in St. Louis, who was not involved in the research.
The study evaluated electronic medical records for nearly 2 million people — comparing those who had been infected with the coronavirus with those who were not. The most common post-Covid conditions, regardless of age, were respiratory problems and musculoskeletal pain.
Al-Aly said the study results “can potentially translate into millions of people with new diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, neurologic problems. These are lifelong conditions — certainly manageable, but not curable conditions.”