MADRID, Spain — Clinical experiences in approaching COVID-19 from different perspectives, results obtained by various therapeutic options and, above all, the challenges posed by a new healthcare reality — long COVID — were all the focus of a recent discussion at the 7th International Congress of the Spanish Society of Precision Health.
In this forum, titled Precision Health: A COVID-19 Professional Debate, Mayca González, MD, a specialist in microbiology and an expert in age management medicine at the University of Granada, reviewed the most recent data regarding long COVID. "According to the latest evidence, 9 out of 10 COVID-19 patients (87%) discharged from hospital experience at least one symptom 60 days after illness onset, with 32% reporting one or two symptoms and 55% presenting three or more. Additionally, more than 50% of symptomatic cases have at least one symptom of the disease 1 year after infection."
Another study found that 12.8% of the infected study participants continued to have dyspnea after 6 months, even in the absence of a pneumonia diagnosis, González added.
Research on this topic has also shed light on the main risk factors for developing long COVID. "First of all, gender, age, and even the number of symptoms" are risk factors, said González.
