Study finds ‘long Covid’ in 42 percent of patients

Researchers from Polytechnic University have warned that two in five Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong may suffer from the ‘long Covid’ syndrome even after they are cleared of the coronavirus, adding that aerobic and lower limb exercises can help ease the condition.

The researchers tracked the health and physical performance of around 120 Covid patients who were infected since October 2020, and found that long Covid appeared in patients across all age groups.

“The symptoms range quite a bit, including what some people call brain fog or tiredness or fatigue, as well as sometimes both physical fatigue as well as mental fatigue that means the person may not be as sharp as usual,” explained associate professor Arnold Wong.

In announcing their findings on Wednesday, the researchers said some of the participants only displayed long Covid symptoms six months after they were cleared of the coronavirus.

They also found that long Covid was more common among females, with 50 percent of women taking part in the study showing symptoms, compared with 30 percent among men.

But aerobic and lower limb exercises can help, the researchers said, pointing out that a six-week programme they devised had helped participants regain physical strength and lung functions.

“The aerobic capacity or the forced vital capacity is highly related to the muscle fatigue as well as to the performance of individuals,” said Wong.

“Our finding supports that those people have lower limb weakness, but also if you can imagine if a person has a better lower limb capacity or endurance, they improve their daily activity performance,” he explained.

The researchers added that it is still unclear how long it takes for people to be rid of long Covid, but good exercise habits are key to physical and mental health during the pandemic.