If you battled severe COVID-19 symptoms, you may have felt relief when your symptoms started to improve—but did your symptoms ever go away completely? For many, the answer is no. The long-term health consequences of COVID-19, or long COVID, have remained largely unclear. A study performed in Wuhan, China, and published in January 2021, was quick to act and discover more about patients’ recovery process six months after being discharged from the hospital.* 

What they did

The study recruited patients who were hospitalized at Jin Yin-Tan Hospital in Wuhan, China, with a confirmed case of COVID-19 between January 7 and May 29, 2020. Some patients were excluded due to certain factors, such as psychotic disorders, dementia, and readmission into the hospital. At six months post-discharge, each patient participated in an interview and evaluation that included: 

• Symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
• Physical examination
• Six-minute walking test
• Blood tests

Participants were also categorized on a scale based on their disease severity while in the hospital. An analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between disease severity and long-term health consequences. 

What they found

In total, the study collected data from 1,733 patients and found:

• The most common symptoms were:
  • Fatigue or muscle weakness (63% of participants)
  • Sleep difficulties (26% of participants)
  • Anxiety or depression (23% of participants)
• Walking distance covered in the six-minute walking test decreased based on how severely ill a patient was during hospitalization.
• Patients who were more severely ill were found to have more abnormal chest x-ray manifestations and long-term pulmonary (lung) concerns. 

What it means 

Current findings show a need to continue to research the long-term side effects of COVID-19, including those found in the study to see how they progress. Moreover, doctors and healthcare professionals need to encourage patients to attend follow-up appointments so they can evaluate any physical and psychological side effects post-discharge. Subsequent studies have identified a variety of physical and psychological symptoms for which clinicians are still developing a standard treatment framework. 

*Huang, C., Huang, L., Wang, Y., Li, X., et al. (2021, Jan. 8). 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study. Lancet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7833295/

Much about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information about it can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but some “lag” may occur between scientific developments and our revisions.