Already almost five years have passed since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. However, certain aspects of this disease still remain mysterious, particularly concerning the long-term effects. THE symptoms of long Covid are numerous and have indeed been linked to certain deaths, but the question remains unclear.
A vague share of responsibility
Indeed, certain symptoms of long Covid prove unpleasant, or even disabling, but not dangerous. On the other hand, others can actually participate in a deterioration of health going to death.
Still to this day, it is very complicated to assess the exact share ofimplication of these symptoms in deathsand not all scientists agree. In reality, it seems that certain effects of long Covid may contribute to these disappearances, without necessarily being the main reason.
Indeed, long-term symptoms are often correlated with already existing health problems. For example, the pulmonary complications are more common in patients already suffering from lung problems. Likewise, in the event of death linked to psychological disordersthe symptoms of long Covid can be an aggravating factor, because it is a source of stress, pain, sleep disorders, etc.
But faced with these findings, precisely assessing the degree of involvement of Covid in these deaths seems subjective. There is also consensus on the question: hospitals have been criticized for sometimes indicating Covid as the cause of death for patients also suffering from other pathologies. The latter would rather have died “with” the disease than “from” it.
Varied and uneven symptoms
As a reminder, Covid is considered long-term when the duration of symptoms exceeds four weeks. This could be for example:
- of a severe fatigue
- of breathing problems
- of pain (thoracic, muscular, abdominal, ears, eyes, etc.)
- of skin problems
- of digestive disorders
- of eye problems
- of psychological disorders
- of a altered sense of smell
- of a feeling of “fog” of the mind
Etc… The list goes on. Nature andintensity of these complications can vary depending on several factors: women, people who are already sick, those who are overweight or even smokers have a greater risk of develop a long Covid.
