For example, it is still unclear why it affects so many corona patients, while others escape the dance.

Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly clear that it can take quite a long time to fully recover from COVID-19 – the disease that causes the coronavirus. Some people continue to have symptoms for weeks or even months after contracting the infection. This phenomenon, called lung COVID, has now also received an official definition from the WHO. “This is a positive step because from now on all researchers will work with a common clinical case definition,” molecular biologist Warren Tate said in a comment.

Lung COVID

Lung COVID, or ‘post-COVID-19’ as it is now called by the WHO, is a condition in which someone, after being infected with the coronavirus, continues to have symptoms for a long time. This person can still suffer from ill health even months after being infected. The complaints that can occur are very diverse. But how can the condition be best described?

Official definition

In February, several experts met to discuss a good, opaque description. It eventually leads to a clear definition of lung COVID, which is intended to help doctors around the world assess and diagnose the condition. This definition reads as follows:

“Post-COVID-19 occurs in individuals who have suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the WHO said. “Usually the symptoms start three months after infection and can last for at least two months. The symptoms in question cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Common symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath and cognitive impairment, although there are also other complaints that have a major impact on daily functioning. The symptoms can either reappear after recovery from an acute COVID-19 or persist. The symptoms may fluctuate or diminish over time.”

The most common symptoms of post-COVID-19. Image: WHO

With this definition, the WHO hopes to give research into the condition a boost. Because the condition still remains puzzling in many areas.

Anyone can get it

For example, it is still unclear why it affects so many corona patients, while others escape the dance. In addition, anyone who has had COVID-19 can also get post-COVID-19. It does not even matter whether you had mild or severe complaints during the acute illness. Even people who have not been hospitalized can experience persistent symptoms. However, a more severe form of post-COVID-19 is more common in patients who were hospitalized with a critical health condition. They reported more serious complications more often, see image below.

More severe symptoms of post-COVID-19. Image: WHO

How often does it occur?

While that question is still quite tricky to answer right now, preliminary results from a sample conducted by the UK Office for National Statistics suggest that about 1 in 10 people who tested positive for COVID-19 showed symptoms for a period of 12 weeks or more. In addition, Swiss research shows that about one-third of people who had a mild to moderate COVID-19 infection still suffered from long-term complaints seven months later. Another recent study in the United States found that 30 percent of COVID-19 patients surveyed still had persistent symptoms after nine months.

Despite all the questions that still exist about post-COVID-19, according to experts, assigning a definition is very important. “It’s encouraging news,” cellular immunologist Anna Brooks said in a statement. “We hope that this clinical case definition will help patients listen more and take them seriously when they go to the doctor.”

Vaccination

The researcher underlines that vaccination is the best way to prevent lung COVID. “But just as vaccines don’t provide 100 percent protection, we know that the condition can also occur after a breakthrough infection,” she says. “Fortunately, these numbers remain low.” For example, research has shown that people who contracted COVID-19 despite vaccination are less likely to develop lung COVID. For example, the chance that symptoms will last longer than four weeks is about 50 percent smaller compared to people who have not been vaccinated.

Not just a cold

All in all, it is becoming increasingly clear that a corona infection can have serious consequences; even if you think you have already recovered. “One of the most common misinformation about COVID-19 is that it’s ‘just a cold’ and ‘nothing to worry about’,” said infectious disease specialist Stephen Ritchie. “The high number of deaths around the world clearly shows that COVID-19 is much more than a cold. In addition, recent research shows that a large proportion of people with COVID-19 suffer from persistent symptoms for a long time. And post-COVID-19 can be really devastating.”

This means that a corona infection can have a negative effect for a long time to come, with all the consequences that entails. Because much is still unknown about how COVID-19 affects people over time, many more studies and multi-year studies are needed, according to the WHO. To help with this, the WHO has a so-called post-COVID case report form (CRF) designed. It enables the collection of standardized clinical data from individuals after hospital discharge or after acute illness to investigate the medium and long-term consequences of COVID-19. In addition, scientific studies are underway to map out the further implications. And so the hope is that over time we will understand the now officially defined condition better and better.