Long Covid poses a bigger problem, study shows
People who have recovered from Covid-19 may develop up to 62 underlying conditions that may last for many weeks or even months.
In his Facebook post on Tuesday, Thira Woratanarat, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, cited a study published on Monday in the Nature Medicine journal. The study, conducted over 12 weeks on 486,149 non-hospitalised Covid-19 patients, lists conditions developed a post-Covid infection or long Covid.
The study was adjusted based on age, sex, ethnic group, socioeconomic status, smoking, BMI and chronic conditions, he said.
Apart from an impact on the respiratory system, heart, circulation, memory and concentration, he said long-Covid sufferers have also complained of hair loss at four times higher than those who have not been infected. He added that long Covid also puts the reproductive system at risk.
“Covid-19 patients face a 1.26 times higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction than those not infected,” he said, adding that men can also develop ejaculation difficulties and reduced libido.
He said long Covid can affect people’s quality of life, relationships and can increase long-term expenses. Hence, people should continue protecting themselves, especially those at risk of developing severe symptoms, he added.
