London, Sep 22 (IANS) The risk of long Covid after a mild infection is about double among people who, before their Covid-19 infection, had been diagnosed as having psychological, respiratory, or general or unspecified health problems, according to a study.
The observational study, published in Nature Communications, showed that pre-pandemic conditions related to psychological, respiratory, and general/unspecified health problems were the strongest predictors for having a doctor-diagnosed post-Covid problems between 90 and 180 days after the initial infection.
It also showed that women, and individuals infected by the original (first) virus variant, had a higher risk of post-Covid complaints. There was no strong or clear social gradient in the prevalence of the post-covid. When accounting for virus type, vaccination was not significantly associated with the post-Covid condition, said researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway.
“These findings imply that individuals who prior to the pandemic had a psychological diagnosis were approximately twice as likely to be classified with the post-Covid condition, compared to infected individuals without such prior diagnoses,” the researchers said.
The study included health data from 214,667 SARS-CoV-2–infected individuals who were diagnosed with the virus from July 1, 2020, to January 24, 2022. The mean age was 44.6 years, and 50 per cent were women.
A total of 0.42 per cent (908) were diagnosed as having post-Covid condition (PCC).
Twenty-one per cent had PCC-related respiratory problems, and 60 per cent said they experienced fatigue.
The strongest association for developing PCC was female sex and infection with the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain.
Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.