One in five US adults have long COVID symptoms: study

LOS ANGELES - About one in five adults aged 18 and older in the United States have a health condition that might be related to their previous COVID-19 illness, according to a new study of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As more people are exposed to and infected by SARS-CoV-2, reports of patients who experience persistent symptoms or organ dysfunction after acute COVID-19 and develop post-COVID conditions have increased, said the study published on Tuesday.

These symptoms are commonly referred to as long COVID, affecting multiple systems and including cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, renal, endocrine, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, neurologic, and psychiatric signs and symptoms, according to the CDC.

COVID-19 survivors have twice the risk for developing pulmonary embolism or respiratory conditions, the study suggested.

One in five COVID-19 survivors aged 18 to 64 years and one in four survivors aged over 65 years experienced at least one incident condition that might be attributable to previous COVID-19, according to the study.

Implementation of COVID-19 prevention strategies, as well as routine assessment for post-COVID conditions among people who survive COVID-19, is critical to reducing the incidence and impact of post-COVID conditions, particularly among adults aged over 65 years, said the CDC.