"Millions may have to live with it for years to come"
At least 17 million people in the WHO European Region experienced long COVID in the first two years of the pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday. Urging countries to take the post COVID-19 condition seriously by urgently investing in research, recovery, and rehabilitation, the global health agency has said that millions may have to live with it for years to come.
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The first time the WHO had taken cognisance of post-COVID conditions was last year. In December 2021, the WHO had released a report on post-COVID conditions and had listed all the symptoms related to this.
The recent WHO report is about European region
"New modelling conducted for WHO/Europe by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine in the United States shows that in the first two years of the pandemic, at least 17 million individuals across the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region may have experienced post COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID," the WHO report reads and adds that an estimated 17 million people met the WHO criteria of a new case of long COVID with symptom duration of at least three months in 2020 and 2021.
This indicates, the WHO report says, a staggering 307% increase in new long COVID cases between 2020 and 2021.
Females are twice more likely to suffer from this than men
The WHO report also backs several research studies which had found that women are the worst sufferers of long COVID than men.
"The modelling also suggests that females are twice as likely as males to experience long COVID. Furthermore, the risk increases dramatically among severe COVID-19 cases needing hospitalization, with one in three females and one in five males likely to develop long COVID," the WHO report says.
10% to 20% of the people develop mid to long term burden of COVID
On the number of people who suffer from long COVID, the WHO says, it is estimated that 10–20% develop a variety of mid- and long-term effects. This data has been found by various researchers also.
Globally more than 144 million people are grappling with long COVID conditions.
What are the symptoms of long COVID?
The WHO has listed the long term effects of COVID as fatigue, breathlessness, and cognitive dysfunction (for example, confusion, forgetfulness, or a lack of mental focus and clarity).
Specifically focusing on mental health, the global health watcher says prolonged suffering due to long COVID is more likely to impact psychological well-being.
On the nature of the symptoms, the WHO warns people that these symptoms though linger for a longer while may actually come and go over time.
Other complications linked with long COVID
Apart from the symptoms mentioned there are certain other complications that are linked with long COVID.
Several studies have associated hair loss with long COVID. A research study had telogen effluvium or excessive hair shedding is associated with COVID. The study found that this condition occurs one to two months following a COVID infection and more than 60% people experience this condition.
Another major complication due to long COVID is tinnitus or ringing sensation in ears. An annoying ringing or buzzing sensation in the ear has been seen in many people following COVID infection. Earlier there was not enough research on this, however gradually after more such reports came to fore researchers grew interested in this and found a link between the two conditions.
Other complications related to long COVID are tachycardia, digestive issues, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism.
Skin issues are also seen in many people following COVID infection.
WHO's response to this serious condition
To focus attention on long COVID in the WHO/Europe region, the global health agency has undertaken three goals: recognition and knowledge sharing, research and reporting through data gathering and rehabilitation that is based on evidence and effectiveness.
To address the gap in knowledge around long COVID, WHO/Europe has entered an official partnership with Long COVID Europe, a network organization that comprises 19 patient associations based in Member States across the European Region.
“Leaving no one behind is more than just a tagline, and leaving people struggling with the consequences of their COVID-19 infections while others move on with their lives is not an option,” noted Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, WHO/Europe’s Director of Country Health Policies and Systems.