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Exhaustion is one of the most common symptoms of Long Covid (symbolic image)
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A research project at the Ulm University Hospital has examined the long-term corona consequences of its patients. “We have had around 250 patients so far. 20 percent of them have organ damage, "said Dominik Buckert, senior physician in charge of the special outpatient clinic for long-term Covid effects on the lungs, heart and blood vessels at the Ulm University Hospital. Most of the other patients feel less resilient than before the illness, says Buckert. However, the doctors could not find any organ damage in them.
The long-term consequences of corona disease are called long covid. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), around one in ten will still suffer from one or more Covid symptoms four weeks or longer after being infected. Usually there are several complaints at the same time: In addition to the loss of the sense of taste and smell, those affected complain of persistent breathing difficulties, concentration disorders, exhaustion, fatigue or neurological problems.
The University Hospital Ulm had already set up a consultation hour for people with long-term consequences after a Covid 19 disease in February of this year. According to the clinic, most people who come to the consultation are between 40 and 50 years old and have already had Covid disease. The majority are "actually relatively healthy, that is, without any previous chronic illnesses," says senior physician Buckert. The youngest patients - among them a little more men - are around 20 years old. According to studies, however, on average, slightly more women are affected worldwide.
When it comes to organ damage, the Ulm specialists for internal medicine primarily observe inflammation of the heart muscle and the consequences thereof. These included heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias, says Buckert. "In the case of the lungs, we observe that the structure of the lungs changes and that poor gas exchange is possible." The findings so far coincided with the feedback from other clinics on corona long-term effects, said Buckert.
A survey by Barmer health insurance among its policyholders in June showed that around 17 percent of Covid 19 cases were on sick leave for more than four weeks.
Doctors do not yet know what exactly is causing Long Covid.
In addition, there is no reporting system for long-term consequences in Germany.
How many are affected in total and what effects this has on the health system can only be estimated so far.
Studies and research projects, such as the one in Ulm, provide isolated insights into the long-term effects.
kry / dpa
