Most patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to severe Covid-19 have physical, mental or cognitive symptoms and problems one year after discharge from hospital, according to a new Dutch scientific study. It is the first multicenter study internationally to examine the long-term problems of ICU survivors after severe Covid-19.
After one year, three in four former patients (74%) have physical symptoms, one in four (26%) mental and one in six (16%) cognitive problems. The most common physical symptoms are fatigue and physical weakness (39%), joint stiffness (26%), joint pain (26%), muscle weakness (25%) and myalgia (21%).
Researchers from universities and 11 hospitals in the Netherlands, led by Dr. Marieke Zegers and Hinde Hisackers of the University of Radbund Medical Center, published the study in the American Medical Journal (Journal of American) patients -176 men and 70 women with a mean age of 61 years- who had been admitted to the ICU in 2020 and evaluated their state of health after one year.
It was found that the majority of patients – three quarters – experience more or less problems one year after the “adventure” of the ICU. About half feel tired, while others suffer from pain, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, etc. One in five experiences feelings of anxiety or post-traumatic stress and one in six has cognitive problems such as impaired memory and attention span.
These problems negatively affect the quality of daily life of former ICU patients. More than half reported having difficulty with their work: Some are forced to work part-time, others still have health leave and some have quit their jobs.
“The study shows how incredible the impact of ICU admission is on the lives of former Covid-19 patients. “Even after a year, half feel tired or do not have the energy to take on the full work,” Zegers said.
Link for scientific pre-publication: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2788504
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