Half of young adults with COVID-19 have persistent symptoms 6 months after, study finds
- Date:
- June 23, 2021
- Source:
- The University of Bergen
- Summary:
- A new paper describes persistent symptoms six months after acute COVID-19, even in young home isolated people. The most common symptoms were loss of smell and/or taste, fatigue, shortness of breath, impaired concentration, and memory problems.
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A paper published in the journal Nature Medicine on long-COVID, describes persistent symptoms six months after acute COVID-19, even in young home isolated people.
The study from the Bergen COVID-19 Research Group followed infected patients during the first pandemic wave in Bergen Norway.
"The main novel finding is that more than fifty per cent of young adults up to 30 years old, isolated at home, still have persistent symptoms six months after mild to moderate disease," the leader of the group, Professor Nina Langeland explains.
The most common symptoms were loss of smell and/or taste, fatigue, shortness of breath, impaired concentration, and memory problems.
"There was a significant correlation between high antibody levels and symptoms in home isolated patients, other risk factors for symptoms were asthma or other chronic lung disease," says Professor Rebecca Cox, Head of the Influenza Centre at University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital and co-leader of the research group.
Impaired memory and concentration difficulties
In non-hospitalized COVID-19-patients, thirty per cent experienced fatigue which was the most common symptom. Children under the age of 16 years had fewer long-term symptoms than adults, but Associate Professor Bjørn Blomberg, and first author of the article, underlines:
"The cognitive symptoms of impaired memory and concentration difficulties are particularly worrying for young people at school or university and highlights the importance of vaccination to prevent the long-term health implications of COVID-19."
Story Source:
Materials provided by The University of Bergen. Original written by Ingrid Ovidie Lydersen Hagerup. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Bjørn Blomberg, Kristin Greve-Isdahl Mohn, Karl Albert Brokstad, Fan Zhou, Dagrun Waag Linchausen, Bent-Are Hansen, Sarah Lartey, Therese Bredholt Onyango, Kanika Kuwelker, Marianne Sævik, Hauke Bartsch, Camilla Tøndel, Bård Reiakvam Kittang, Anders Madsen, Geir Bredholt, Juha Vahokoski, Elisabeth Berg Fjelltveit, Amit Bansal, Mai Chi Trieu, Sonja Ljostveit, Jan Stefan Olofsson, Nina Ertesvåg, Helene Heitmann Sandnes, Anette Corydon, Hanne Søyland, Marianne Eidsheim, Kjerstin Jakobsen, Nina Guldseth, Synnøve Hauge, Rebecca Jane Cox, Nina Langeland. Long COVID in a prospective cohort of home-isolated patients. Nature Medicine, 2021; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01433-3
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