CALIFORNIA, USA — Almost 30% of COVID-19 patients developed the condition known as “long COVID” according to a new study of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Between April 2020 and February 2021, the UCLA researchers studied 1,038 persons who were enrolled in the UCLA COVID Ambulatory Program. Around 309 of them developed long COVID, according to the researchers.

“This study illustrates the need to follow diverse patient populations longitudinally to understand the Long COVID disease trajectory and evaluate how individual factors such as pre-existing co-morbidities, sociodemographic factors, vaccination status, and virus variant type affect type and persistence of Long COVID symptoms,” said Sun Yoo, health sciences assistant clinical professor at UCLA.

A person was diagnosed with the condition if they reported persistent symptoms on questionnaires 60 or 90 days following infection or hospitalization. 

Potential flaws in the study include the subjective nature of how patients rated their symptoms, the small number of symptoms the researchers evaluated, and the lack of  information about patients’ pre-existing conditions.

In order to develop the most effective treatments, the researchers intended to assess the relationship between Long COVID with demographics and clinical features.

“Because persistent symptoms can be subjective in nature, we need better tools to accurately diagnose Long COVID and to differentiate it from exacerbations of other emerging or chronic conditions,” said Yoo.

Researchers found that people with a history of hospitalization, diabetes, and a higher body mass index were more likely to acquire the condition. The type of insurance the patients had appeared to be a role as well, however, the researchers did not provide an explanation.

According to UCLA, older age and socioeconomic level were not linked to the condition in the study, a surprising turnout since those traits are frequently linked to severe illness and a higher risk of death from COVID-19. – WhatALife!

Source: (sciencedaily.com)

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