Study finds long COVID symptoms like depression, anxiety and fatigue often worsen over time, rather than getting better

[Hip]

A new study on 475 long COVID patients (who were hospitalised with COVID early in the pandemic, before the vaccines were available) found that:

While many people with long Covid improved over time, a substantial proportion still had cognitive problems two to three years later and saw symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue worsen rather than subside.

Questionnaires completed by participants showed that many felt moderate to severe levels of depression (47%), fatigue (40%) and anxiety (27%) two to three years after Covid. Rather than improving over time, the symptoms were on average worse two to three years after infection than at six to 12 months.

IQ was also affected:

While the researchers had no information on the participants’ thinking skills before they got Covid, cognitive tests two to three years later showed that on average patients’ IQs were 10 points lower than expected for their age, education and other factors. One in nine showed signs of “severe cognitive deficits”, which equate to an IQ 30 points lower than expected.

Though cognitive issues actually improved over time, even though psychiatric symptoms got worse over the years:

Although the proportion of patients reporting depression, anxiety and fatigue rose after six months, cognitive problems appeared to improve. Six months after infection, 44% had objective cognitive deficits compared with 33% at two to three years.

Source: this Guardian article



Of course, whether these findings also apply to long COVID patients who were not hospitalised during their acute COVID infection, and/or patients who were vaccinated, is another question.

But my own case of long COVID seems to fit the pattern observed in this study: I was vaccinated, and caught an extremely mild case of COVID just over 2 years ago. But in spite of the mildness, within days of catching COVID, my fatigue and brain fog levels became permanently worse. And I developed a zombie-like mental numbness or mental vagueness.

However it was not until one year later after catching COVID that my anxiety symptoms and other mental health symptoms suddenly started getting worse. So the impression I have is that SARS-CoV-2 may be sitting their in the brain, or in some other organs, and may progressively cause further issues in some people.

 

[southwestforests]

My brother and I watched our pretty smart parents, elderly but still pretty smart, take an observable step downward in cognitive abilities after they got covid a couple months ago.
They appear to have recovered from the virus but the reduced mental acuity remains.

 

[Florida Guy]

I'm sorry to hear that. Its really a bummer when you pace carefully and do everything right but then some bs comes along and knocks you down to a lower level.

But my own case of long COVID seems to fit the pattern observed in this study: I was vaccinated, and caught an extremely mild case of COVID just over 2 years ago

I caught it in 2019 but it went away in a few days and no secondary symptoms. A friend of mine got covid and went on to long covid. Its really a shame but since they are now pouring the research dollars into long covid and the me/cfs that often goes along with it, very likely in a few years we will crack the problem

Since I overcame it without taking the horrible covid shot, my natural immunity must be good and I'm unlikely to catch it again. You however are still at risk

I know from your other posts that you are a big defender of the covid shot and will not want to hear this but my observations are that after the shot people get covid more often. We can discuss it and post links to researchers but I don't think you want to do that so I will just say my piece and shut up

Long covid may be worse than cfs because it often leads to it along with other symptoms like the ones you mentioned. But at least the medical establishment takes it seriously now

 

[Wayne]

my observations are that after the shot people get covid more often.

Hi @Florida Guy -- I've seen quite a bit of reporting on this, and that's not the only downside to the COVID shots. Many, many serious injuries and deaths have been reported from those shots.

 

[Hip]

I know from your other posts that you are a big defender of the covid shot

Well, I am certainly not a supporter of the emotive anti-vaccine messaging found on social media, which is estimated to have killed around 200,000 in the US alone. The antivax organisations seem to have diminished intellectual responsibly.

It is concerning of course that COVID vaccines (along with many other types of vaccine) appear to trigger ME/CFS on rare occassions. Dr John Chia estimates that about 1 or 2% of ME/CFS cases are vaccine-induced. We need to try to figure out why vaccines can cause ME/CFS. That is the most serious vaccine side effect, because ME/CFS is one of the worst diseases you can get. I think it is wrong that medical research has not taken more notice of this side effect.

That said, if we introduced a coxsackievirus B, echovirus and Epstein-Barr virus vaccine to the vaccine schedule, there would almost certainly be a massive reduction in ME/CFS cases. So you have to weigh the good with the bad, and decide on balance, which course leads to the best outcome. This weighing up is something the anti-vaccine community seem to struggle to do.

Since I overcame it without taking the horrible covid shot, my natural immunity must be good and I'm unlikely to catch it again. You however are still at risk

Actually, the studies show that hybrid immunity (that obtained from both vaccination and natural infection) is the strongest of all.

But lots of people catch COVID again within a year, so even with the strongest immunity, the virus can come back again and again.

Most viruses when you catch them induce immunity that lasts for decades; likewise vaccines for those viruses create decades-long immunity; so with most viruses, you will never catch them again.

But for certain specific reasons, natural infection with coronaviruses, as well as COVID vaccination, only induces a short-lived immunity. If you Google it, you can learn about those reasons. This is not related to genetic mutations, but relates to the changing configurations of spike protein.

Many, many serious injuries and deaths have been reported from those shots, and many concerted efforts have been made to keep it all quiet.

That's just conspiracy theory. If you care to take a scientific approach, and look at the excess death data for New Zealand, you find that there were no excess deaths at all as the COVID vaccines were rolled out. So the conspiracy theory that COVID vaccines are killing millions does not really hold.

NZ is a unique case, because due to their COVID restrictions, they had no COVID at all for the first years of the pandemic. Therefore in NZ we can study the effects of the vaccine without the confounding factor of actual COVID infection.

In most other countries, excess deaths shot up as COVID hit (this was before the vaccines appeared).

These deaths were caused by asphyxiation from lung damage, but also likely because of the long term effects of catching COVID, as several studies have shown you are 2 to 3 times more likely to die in the year after catching COVID.

By contrast, a recent study found you are 20% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke if you have two doses of the mRNA vaccines.



But now we have taken this thread off topic by talking about vaccines.

 

[wolves2626]

so far it is only from my experience nothing diminished IQ wise that I could fully work in data science remotely however besides my bad health even before covid or vaccines I got worse in the sense of newly find SFN and cfs I could say.

although I have been worse in the beginning of the vaccine and covid infection which occurred in small time intervals I could say I am better.

at least I know the reason now and pots vertigo like issues have been resolved. knock on wood.

however my mobility fatigue sleep depression anxiety was still the same not improving at times it is declining. I run out of power easily and bad sleep quality as well.