Patients who have recovered from an episode of COVID-19 more and more are reporting cases of persistence or recurrence symptoms beyond the estimated 2-3 weeks of recovery. At what sequelae in the long term can these patients expect? If few data are available today to answer this question, the numerous studies carried out around the sequelae of SARS and MERS (two other respiratory infections with coronavirus) constitute a first line of thought.
Persistent symptoms after an episode of COVID-19
An increasing number of patients who have recovered from an episode of COVID-19 are reporting persistence or recurrence symptoms beyond the estimated 2-3 weeks of recovery.
Some testify to persistent fatigue, tachycardia at the slightest effort, recurrent loss of smell and taste, while others still complain of joint or muscle pain or impaired physical capacity. And these clinical signs worry patients about the possibility of a relapse. If they remain more frequent following severe forms of the disease, these persistent signs are also found in patients who have not been hospitalized.
As the epidemic is still very recent, little data is currently available on the long-term effects of COVID-19. However, the scientific literature does not lack data on the aftermath two other human coronavirus infections: SARS and MERS. Relying on this data will therefore be useful for scientists to anticipate the long-term consequences SARS-CoV-2 infection. A meta-analysis has just been published and offers a global vision of the potential sequelae of COVID-19.
To know ! Meta-analysis is a scientific method that combines the results of a series of independent studies on a given problem, according to a reproducible protocol. Through the increase in the number of cases studied, meta-analysis makes it possible to analyze data more precisely and draw a general conclusion.
The value of the data available on the sequelae of SARS and MERS
This meta-analysis, published last April by a team of British scientists, focuses on the sequelae SARS and MERS observed 6 months or more after recovery. 28 studies deemed to be of good quality were selected from the 1,169 articles on the subject. In these studies, the patients monitored had been hospitalized following severe forms of these two infections, with or without admission to intensive care.
Regarding long-term sequelae, the authors were able to make the following observation:
- No clear difference in terms of long-term sequelae between patients admitted to intensive care and those hospitalized without intensive care
- Respiratory sequelae in pulmonary function
- Physical sequelae with reduced physical capacity for several months, chronic fatigue between 18 and 40 months after the cure of SARS for 1/3 of the patients, and chronic, joint or muscle pain for 1/3 of the patients.
- Lasting psychic sequelae 6 months after recovery with post-traumatic stress disorder in 39% of patients, signs of depression in 33% and anxiety in 30% of them.
In addition, the quality of personal life of patients was greatly impacted. Thus, 6 months after infection, a significant decrease in quality of life was observed in the areas of physical, emotional and social life.
Finally, it is professional life which is affected with 17% of people who have not been able to return to work one year after infection. Regarding health professionals who contracted SARS, a study reports that 30% of them could not return to their jobs two years after infection.
The claims of patients who had COVID-19
Pending the collection of similar data for the current pandemic, the data highlighted by the British meta-analysis around SARS / MERS support the claims of patients suffering from sequelae following an episode of COVID-19.
A thousand French people suffering from recurrent symptoms has just formed a collective called “Long-term Covid-19 sufferers”. This collective demands coordinated actions on the part of the health authorities so that their situation is taken into account: “We remain on our own with disabling symptoms without any information listing the pathologies existing; without any coordinated care and monitoring protocol at the national level having been defined at the country level ”.
For the members of this group, setting up a real health program commensurate with the consequences of the epidemic constitutes a real emergency and supposes, among other proposals, to guarantee the maintenance of COVID-19 in notifiable disease after the state of health emergency. The objective is to take into account the impact of the disease and its consequences, both on the personal and professional life of patients.
As such, and with around a third of patients suffering from respiratory sequelae, even without admission to intensive care, it would seem judicious to offer pulmonary rehabilitation to all post-COVID-19 patients suffering from reduced physical capacities. As the prevalence of psychic sequelae in respiratory coronavirus infections is not negligible, the systematic implementation of psychotherapeutic support measures seems essential in this new context.
Déborah L., Doctor of Pharmacy
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Pharmacist.
Specialized in the fields of health, nutrition and cosmetology.
Passionate about writing, she knows how to combine scientific rigor with the beauty of our language.
Writes reliable scientific content with verified sources in accordance with our HIC charter.
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