Studies on the after-effects of Covid-19 are becoming more and more numerous. In them, researchers discuss exhaustion, pain in the joints or rib cage, as well as loss of taste and smell for weeks or even months.
Luxembourg has participated in post covid health studies in which the after-effects of a sample group of patients were followed up and recorded three months after their infection.
Above all else, the psychological symptoms stood out. After three months, almost half of the monitored patients were experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or insecurity. In most cases, these symptoms were only slightly pronounced, for example in the form of sleep disturbances, but 18% of those affected had to resort to anxiolytics, sleeping pills, or even antidepressants.
It is still too early to draw conclusions on any long-term effects. However, according to Dr Gil Wirtz, a lung specialist at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), the follow-up examinations of Covid-19 patients during the first wave were generally reassuring. Positive observation: the concerned patients recovered their lung volume relatively quickly, even if oxygen exchange still seems to be partially affected over a long period of time. Researchers also found scars on the lungs, although it is not yet possible to assess whether these will have any long-term effects.
In most cases, doctors are optimistic that the after-effects, even if they are persistent, will eventually disappear on their own. The first point of contact for monitoring the after-effects of Covid-19 was the GP, who was able to reassure the patient in the majority of cases. Subsequent heart or lung tests were only necessary in a few cases.
Dr Wirtz explained that this only made sense after three to four months at the earliest and only with patients who had serious illnesses or still had symptoms. It was obvious that the researchers could not and should not carry out a complicated lung test for every patient who had the coronavirus. According to Dr Wirtz, the most important thing was for people to get back on their feet and no longer experience any respiratory problems.
The report (in Luxembourgish):
