The vast majority of patients (90%) who suffer from long Covid see the symptoms of the disease improve slowly during the two years following its appearance, while the rest know a faster recovery or, on the contrary, persistence of symptoms for a longer time, according to a new study.

The study was carried out by Dr. Viet-Thi Tran, epidemiologist (Université Paris Cité / AP-HP (Group of Paris Hospitals) ), on 2,197 patients of the ComPare group suffering from long Covid. The results of the study are published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Exhaustion, cough, difficulty breathing, intermittent fever, loss of taste, smell, difficulty concentrating, depression…long Covid manifests itself with one or more of a long series of symptoms, usually in the three months following the attack, which persist for at least two months.

It is not an independent disease, but a complex syndrome caused by multiple, often interacting, mechanisms, which explains the complex and often heterogeneous clinical picture of patients, recalls the Paris Hospital Group in a statement. According to the study, about 90% of people infected with long Covid still report symptoms a year after the initial infection.

The researchers identified three pathways in the patients. The vast majority (91%) see a slow improvement in their symptoms over time (with an average reduction of 25% in the number of symptoms in the two years following their onset).

4% have rapid improvement in symptoms (with complete resolution within 2 years of onset). Compared to the other patients, these subjects were younger and had no history of functional disease (chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc.). These patients more often present with neck, back and lumbar pain and digestive symptoms during their disease flare-up.

About 5% of patients presented opposite severe symptoms that persist over time. These patients are usually older, smokers and with a history of autoimmune disease. Tachycardia, bradycardia, spontaneous contractions, arrhythmia, hot flushes, sweating, and heat and cold intolerance were more common during disease exacerbation.

The results of the study will allow patients to be better informed about the evolution of long Covid and a more accurate assessment of the needs of the health system to deal with the disease, according to the Group of Public Hospitals of Paris.