Research Highlights: Patients May Experience Fatigue, Muscle Weakness, Sleep Difficulties, Anxiety, or Depression Few Months After COVID-19 Infection
Original Article: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)32656-8
- Long-term health consequences of COVID-19 remain unclear.
- The study aim to describe the long-term health consequences of COVID-19 patients who have been discharged from hospital.
- Researchers investigate the associated risk factors, in particular disease severity.
- Researchers did a cohort study of patients with COVID-19 who had been discharged from a Chinese hospital between January 7, 2020 and May 29, 2020.
- Researchers observed fatigue, muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, anxiety, or depression 6 months after acute COVID-19 viral infection.
- Patients who had severe COVID-19 during their hospital stay were more severely impaired in their pulmonary diffusion capacities.
- Pulmonary diffusing capacity refers to the amount of gas that is transferred from the alveoli to blood during gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide.
- Patients who were more severely ill during their hospital stay had more severe impaired pulmonary diffusion capacities.
- Patients who were severely ill also manifest abnormal chest imaging, thus they are the main target population for intervention of long-term recovery.
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Source:
Huang, C., Huang, L., Wang, Y., Li, X., Ren, L., Gu, X., Kang, L., Guo, L., Liu, M., Zhou, X., Luo, J., Huang, Z., Tu, S., Zhao, Y., Chen, L., Xu, D., Li, Y., Li, C., Peng, L., Li, Y., … Cao, B. (2021). 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study. Lancet (London, England), S0140-6736(20)32656-8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32656-8
https://www.respiratorytherapyzone.com/pulmonary-diffusion/
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