In a major study, the researchers have shown that persistent fatigue occurs in more than half of patients recovered from Covid-19, regardless of the seriousness of their infection. Also Read – Corona Vaccine Latest News: Does Govt Have 80K Cr to Buy & Distribute Vaccine, Asks Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla

“While the presenting features of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been well-characterized, the medium and long-term consequences of infection remain unexplored,” said study author Liam Townsend from St James’s Hospital in Ireland. Also Read – This Vitamin Can Reduce Risk of Complications in COVID-19 Positive Patients

For the study, the research team used a commonly-used scale to determine fatigue in recovered patients, called the Chalder Fatigue Score (CFQ-11). Also Read – Jodhpur Lockdown News: Total Shutdown Imposed in The District Amid Rising Number of COVID-19 Cases | What’s Allowed, What’s Prohibited

They also looked at the severity of the patient’s initial infection (need for admission, and critical/intensive care), and also their pre-existing conditions, including depression.

They also looked at various markers of immune activation (white cell counts, C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, and sCD25). The study included 128 participants (mean age 50 years; 54 percent female) who were recruited consecutively at a median of 10 weeks following clinical recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. More than half reported persistent fatigue (52.3 percent; 67/128) at this point.

The researchers offered an outpatient appointment to anyone who had a Covid-19 positive swab test in their laboratory at St James Hospital. Of the patients assessed in this study, 71/128 (55.5 percent) were admitted to the hospital and 57/128 (44.5 percent) were not.