Covid-19 Symptoms Persist in Half of Young Adults Even After 6 Months

Most young home isolated people were found to have persistent symptoms six months after acute COVID-19, reveals a paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine on long-COVID.

The study from the Bergen COVID-19 Research Group followed infected patients during the first pandemic wave in Bergen Norway.

‘Vaccination can help prevent the long-term health implications of COVID-19 such as asthma, loss of smell/taste, fatigue, shortness of breath, impaired concentration, memory problems and chronic lung disease in young adults.’

"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 Bj�rn 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."



Source: Eurekalert