Younger adults among those suffering long Covid symptoms, study finds

Younger adults are among the one in seven people who went on to suffer so-called long Covid in the weeks and months after their diagnosis, a new study has found.

Experts in the US found that 14% of people under 65 developed a new condition that required medical care in the three weeks to six months after catching virus.

Some of the conditions included respiratory failure, anxiety, diabetes and fatigue.

A similar study carried out in the UK found that one in seven people who tested positive for Covid-19 are still suffering symptoms three months later.

A number of people previously infected with Covid had to receive medical care for a new condition (PA)

This new US research, which was published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), studied the health insurance records to 266,586 adults aged between 18 to 65.

All of the people were diagnosed with Covid-19 between January and October last year.

Individuals were matched to three comparison groups without coronavirus, including one group diagnosed with a different respiratory infection.

Those who had had Covid were found to be more at risk of ongoing health issues than people in the other groups.

The researchers, including from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said: "Although individuals who were older, had pre-existing conditions, and were admitted to hospital because of Covid-19 were at greatest excess risk (of suffering new conditions), younger adults (aged 50 and under), those with no pre-existing conditions, or those not admitted to hospital for Covid-19 also had an increased risk…"

Experts said that as the number of individuals infected with coronavirus worldwide continues to rise, "the number of survivors with potential sequelae after Covid will continue to grow”.

In a linked editorial, Elaine Maxwell, from the National Institute for Health Research, said: "Healthcare professionals should be alert to the possibility of long Covid in anyone with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. How to treat these longer-term consequences is now an urgent research priority."

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