Nearly 60% of long Covid patients suffered organ damage a year later: Study

Organ damage persisted in 59 per cent of long Covid patients a year after initial symptoms appeared, even in those not severely affected when first diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study.

The research, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, focused on 536 long Covid patients who reported extreme breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction and poor health-related quality of life.

Thirteen per cent were hospitalised when first diagnosed with Covid-19, while 32 per cent of people taking part in the study were healthcare workers. Of the 536 patients, 331 (62 per cent) were identified with organ impairment six months after their initial diagnosis, the researchers said.

These patients were followed up six months later with a 40-minute multi-organ MRI scan (Perspectum's CoverScan), analysed in Oxford, they said.

The findings confirmed that 29 per cent of patients with long Covid had multi-organ impairment, with persistent symptoms and reduced function at s