According to a study by the Japanese Society for Respiratory Diseases (JRS), 16.6 percent of corona patients suffer from long-term effects, the so-called Long Covid.
Die JRS study was presented on June 1 at the meeting of the panel of experts advising the Japanese government on issues related to the pandemic. The result is higher than with a study by a research group from the Department of Health, Labor and Welfarein the 10 percent the talk was.
Corona patients often suffer from muscle atrophy
For the study, 1,000 corona patients aged 20 and over were interviewed. They were hospitalized for breathing difficulties and pneumonia, and all required ventilator or intensive care treatment between September 2020 and September 2021. Participants were interviewed and CT scans of their lungs were taken.
The study found that 13.6 percent of the participants were still suffering from the effects of the infection (Long Covid) a year following they were discharged from the hospital. Muscle wasting is the most common, followed by breathing difficulties and fatigue.
Lung CT scan results showed abnormalities in 6.3 percent of participants 12 months following hospital discharge.
Interstitial pneumonia was more common in corona patients than in patients who developed pneumonia due to other diseases, the study said.
Akihito Yokoyama, a professor of respiratory medicine at Kochi University who leads the JRS study, said, “The rate of patients experiencing muscle wasting and difficulty breathing increased in those who developed severe symptoms soon following contracting the virus .”
The study also states that only a small proportion of corona patients can be treated because of persistent long-term consequences. Only 17 percent continue to receive treatment.
“In the case of Corona, only a fraction of patients have access to rehabilitation, even though they have significant muscle weakness,” Yokoyama said.
Further study sees more long-Covid cases
According to another study conducted by Keio University, 36.1 percent of corona patients who received oxygen are struggling with long-term consequences.
According to the study, the most common consequence was fatigue (13 percent), followed by breathing difficulties (9 percent) and muscle wasting and lack of concentration (each 8 percent).
According to the study, middle-aged patients are the age group most susceptible to long-term effects.
