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Prolonged coronavirus disease (Covid-19) symptoms could affect millions of Americans, research shows.
CNN
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Estimates of the number of people in the United States who experience prolonged symptoms of COVID-19 vary widely, but a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that 962,000 children and 17.9 million adults are affected by the condition. There is a possibility that there are.
According to the agency, as of 2022, 1.3% of children and 6.9% of adults had been infected with the new coronavirus for a long time. However, in children it is 0.5%, and in adults it is only 3.4%. At the time of the investigation, he had been infected with the new coronavirus for a long time.
Estimates are consistent with some U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, but they are lower, in some cases significantly lower, than previous studies focused on long Covid.us census Household pulse surveyFor example, a study from June to December 2022 found that 31.1% of all Americans had been infected with the coronavirus for a long time.
us department Ministry of Health and Welfare estimates Up to 23 million people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus for a long time.
The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the CDC, said data differences between surveys include who received the long-term COVID-19 questions, how the questions were presented, the language used, and how each survey was conducted. It states that this may be due to differences in .
There are also differences in definitions. This particular report defines long-term COVID-19 as symptoms that last at least three months after a positive test or diagnosis of COVID-19 by a doctor. But in Augustfor example, the CDC defined long Covid as symptoms lasting more than four weeks.
Data for the latest study come from the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. civilian population that is conducted continuously throughout the year. Long Covid questions added in 2022.
Data from the 2022 National Commercial Laboratory Seroprevalence Survey shows that the majority of people in the United States had been infected with the coronavirus by the time of the new survey. As of December, 91.9% of children and 77.5% of people over 16 had antibodies indicating previous coronavirus infection.
The demographics of those who reported long-term illness from COVID-19 in the new survey were broadly consistent with previous surveys.
Women, Hispanics, adults living in rural areas, and adults ages 35 to 49 were most likely to contract long-term coronavirus. Adults of Asian descent were the least likely to suffer from long-term coronavirus infections, as were those with household incomes 400% above the federal poverty level. .
Among children, girls, children ages 12 to 17, and Hispanic children were most likely to have had the coronavirus for a long time. Children in Asia were least likely to have long-lasting symptoms of coronavirus again.
Long-term COVID-19 causes a greater burden of disability than heart disease or cancer; Shown in previous research. Although the proportion of adults reporting long-term illness with COVID-19 has decreased over time, long-term symptoms can still be debilitating.
In response to the need for better understanding and treatment, US Department of Health and Human Services last week awarded a first-of-its-kind $45 million grant to expand access to care and promote best practices for long-term COVID-19 management. In July, Biden administration announced Establishment of the Long Term Coronavirus Research and Practice Directorate and initiation of clinical trials.
Dr. Amy Edwards, an infectious disease specialist who runs the long-term coronavirus clinic at UH Rainbow Babies Hospital in Cleveland, said she wanted to know how closely doctors should be paying attention to long-term COVID-19 infections. He said research like the new study is important. Until there is Biomarker testing To definitively identify this condition, it is difficult to fully assess exactly how many people have this condition.
“I think it worked,” said Edwards, who was not involved in the new investigation. “This is consistent with the idea that it’s probably rarer in children than adults.”
One concern about this survey, however, is that not all respondents know they have had the coronavirus for a long time. She says some people may associate the symptoms with typical symptoms like a runny nose. But children at Edwards’ long-running coronavirus clinic are showing up with other symptoms, including neurocognitive changes and persistent fatigue.
Edwards also sees patients who have typical long-term coronavirus symptoms but are only showing symptoms after having had other illnesses, such as the flu or strep throat.
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“Our hypothesis is that the coronavirus causes some change, but it’s so subtle that patients can tolerate it until they’re exposed to some additional stress,” Edwards said. Stated. “Our suspicion is that it is not the flu or steppe that is causing the classic long-lasting coronavirus symptoms. It’s strep.”
Regardless of the numbers, Edwards said he hopes people don’t discount the long COVID-19 outbreak, even though, at least on paper, it appears that a relatively small number of people in the country have been infected with the virus. Ta. Some of her young patients become so weak that they are unable to attend school. If that happens, you have to go home and sleep instead of participating in your old hobbies, such as playing soccer or joining the chess team.
“One percent of the pediatric population having a disability is nothing,” Edwards said.