About 50% of patients who experienced severe symptoms of COVID-19 still had difficulty breathing three months after leaving the hospital, according to an interim report from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
A survey conducted by the Japanese Respiratory Society covered 512 patients who were hospitalized between September and May, and who had been out of the hospital for at least three months.
According to the survey, 50% of those with severe symptoms had difficulty breathing, 77% had muscle weakness, and 30% felt sluggish.
Among patients in moderate condition who required oxygen, 30% complained of difficulty breathing and 53% had muscle weakness.
"People with more severe symptoms were found to be more likely to have aftereffects," said Akihito Yokoyama, chairman of the society and a professor at Kochi University.
The Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan and Kanazawa Medical University conducted a separate survey on 251 patients with COVID-19 who had relatively mild symptoms between February and May this year. It found that 61% of them were experiencing problems with their sense of smell or taste.
When the patients were surveyed again one month after being discharged from the hospital, 60% had seen improvement in their sense of smell and 84% had seen improvement in their sense of taste.
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