Almost one in four infected with the Sars-COV-2 virus, They developed long -term Covid (Long Covid) and to more of half of the The symptoms insisted two years later. The above is found, led by the Barcelona World Health Institute (ISGLOBAL) and the main author of the Greek researcher of the Institute, Professor Manolis Kojevina.

Long Covid is manifested by symptoms that persist for at least three months, including respiratory, neurological, digestive or other general symptoms, such as fatigue and exhaustion.

This study was attended by 2,764 adults by covicat, a population study designed to explore the impact of the pandemic on the health of the Catalonian population. Participants completed three questionnaires in 2020, 2021 and 2023, and provided blood samples and medical records. According to the results of this particular study published in the BMC Medicine magazine, 23% of people infected with the Sars-COV-2 virus, developed long covid.

“This is a general population study and this is the difference from other studies. Most Long Covid studies are clinical trials, that is to say, people who have gone to health services and therefore mainly catch the heaviest cases. We, as we do a general population study, also study incidents that are not so heavy, but have symptoms that affect their quality of life. That is why the results highlight a higher frequency of Long Covid compared to other studies, “Manolis Kogevina explains to RES-EIA.

It was found that more than half of patients with Long Covid (56%) were still symptoms two years later. “This finding sends a message to health systems that we cannot forget the issue of Long Covid. We may have somewhat regulated the pandemic and do not have as heavy incidents as in the past, but there are many people who have these symptoms and require systematic monitoring, ”says Kogevina.

Based on the symptoms reported by their participants and their medical records, the researchers identified three long -term Covid clinical subtypes: Neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms, respiratory and the most severe occurrence of the disease, where the symptoms involved multiple organs.

The research has brought to light factors that contribute to Long Covid development. According to Marianna Karahaliou, a researcher in Isglobal and one of the authors of the study, “being a woman, having a serious Covid-19 infection and having a pre-existing chronic disease, such as asthma, are clear risk factors.” In addition, it was observed that people with obesity and high levels of IgG antibodies before vaccination were more likely to develop long -term Covid. The latter factor, the researchers note, may reflect the hypertension of the immune system after the initial infection, which in some cases may contribute to the persistence of long -term symptoms.

During the research, the connection of the disease with mental illness was also identified. ‘We found that the Psychological and psychiatric problems are associated with heavier long covid symptoms. The relationship is two -way, they are also a symptom of Long Covid, but they are also factors that cause long covid, ”says Mr. Kogevina.

The analysis also identified protective factors that could reduce the risk of developing the disease. These include vaccination before infection and a healthy lifestyle, which includes regular physical activity and adequate sleep. In addition, the risk was lower in people infected after the prevalence of the OMIKRON variant. This could be explained, as the researchers note, from the tendency of infections to be milder or the greatest general immunity to Covid-19.

Manolis Kogevina systematically deals with his research with the long -term Covid. His next research goal, as he reveals to RES-EIA, is to investigate why women are at greater risk of developing long covid.

Because he has turned his attention to this disease, we ask him. “This virus is impressive and how it affects so much with different symptoms. It has surprised us very much. This is a matter. But the main thing is that Long Covid is a serious problem of public health and social health, which we didn’t get enough early. The world with long covid didn’t care. And as we have come out of the acute phase of Covid, we forget about Long Covid’s incidents. And these incidents have health issues and a serious quality of life problem. And we have to deal with this, we must not forget it, “he says.

It is noted that the research was conducted in collaboration with the GERMANS TRIAS I PUJOL (IGTP) research institute in the framework of the European End-VOC project.