I keep finding articles and studies that talk about the dangers. Most of those don't seem to be dwelt upon by the powers-that-be, as is evidenced by the lack of covid measures just about anywhere. And sometimes I talk to someone who's completely unaware of the dangers of "mild" covid-19. (Keep in mind, you can have a "mild" heart attack.)
So I'll keep the collection here.
Note that I consider data that's pre-Omicon to be a "weakness" because we know that not only does Omicron cause less severe acute infection, it also infects cells in a different way than previous variants. Therefore it's logical to question if it would also have different long term effects. Since Omicron has wiped previous variants off the map, as we approach 2023 (as of this writing) in order to do a proper self-risk assessment, one needs to be concerned with what's out there today, and not what was once out there but is gone.
As I write this, I realize that this page isn't going to be a good place for it. I'll have to move this to a better place.
Articles
Strokes, heart attacks, sudden deaths: Does America understand the long-term risks of catching COVID?
Strokes, heart attacks, sudden deaths: Does America understand the long-term risks of catching COVID?In a huge analysis of more than 30,000 vaccinated patients who had experienced COVID breakthrough infections (pre-Omicron), scientists found that six months later, even the vaccinated incurred a higher risk of death and debilitating long COVID symptoms involving multiple organs (the lungs, heart, kidney, brain, and others) when compared to controls without evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Even the fittest are not immune. Researchers have noted a troubling pattern of sudden cardiac death in athletes in the wake of the pandemic, owing possibly to COVID-related heart complications–myocarditis and pericarditis...
In a non-peer-reviewed study, Ziyad Al-Aly from the Washington University School of Medicine and his team analyzed the health records of 38,000 people with COVID reinfections. Compared to individuals with a single infection, researchers found that these reinfected individuals had higher risks of mortality, hospitalization, and adverse health outcomes in multiple organs.
These risks were present regardless of vaccination status. Every infection added increased risk for both acute and long-term complications.
...A study that included data from over a million pediatric patients found that adolescents ages 18 and younger had a 72% increased risk of developing Type 1 diabetes in the six months following their COVID infection. That risk isn’t limited to children; it’s being seen in adults, too.
Weakness: Takes into account pre-omicron, and a whole lot of post hoc ergo proptor hoc.
Scientists have identified 4 factors that point to a risk of developing long COVID
Scientists have identified 4 factors that point to a risk of developing long COVIDThe four risk factors seem to be:
- Existing type 2 diabetes
- Circulating fragments of SARS-CoV-2 at the time of diagnosis
- Reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus
- The presence of specific autoantibodies directed against a person’s own tissue or organs.
References study Multiple early factors anticipate post-acute COVID-19 sequelae.
Weakness: Too early to take omicron into account.
Long COVID could be linked to a totally different (and common) virus, new study finds
Long COVID could be linked to a totally different (and common) virus, new study findsIt seems a previous infection of a particular cold virus, OC43, may be a culprit:
When their bodies’ immune systems were exposed to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID, they responded with OC43 antibodies that, while similar, were less than ideal, leading to chronic inflammation and other long COVID symptoms.
References study: Impact of cross-coronavirus immunity in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
Weaknesses: It's a pre-print study, not peer reviewed. The study was conducted months after acute infection making direct causation harder to establsh. Also, the cohort was limited to people with rheumatic disease. Small sample size.
COVID is leaving long-term mental health scars ‘on a scale that we have never seen before’, author of new study says
COVID is leaving long-term mental health scars ‘on a scale that we have never seen before’, author of new study saysEven patients who were never sick enough to be hospitalized for COVID were still 68% more likely than their non-infected counterparts to be diagnosed with a sleep disorder, 69% more likely to have an anxiety disorder, and 77% more likely to have a depressive disorder. The relative risk of developing the conditions was significantly higher still in patients hospitalized for COVID, and translates into dozens of additional mental health conditions for every 1,000 coronavirus cases.
Weaknesses: It doesn't take into account Omicron. It's also from a study involving older white men (US Department of Veteran Affairs).
References: Risks of mental health outcomes in people with covid-19: cohort study (BMJ).
Brain damage, hair loss, and fatigue: Everything we know about the long-term effects of COVID infections
Brain damage, hair loss, and fatigue: Everything we know about the long-term effects of COVID infectionsThe article mentions that there are over 200 different symptoms that can persist from acute infection, or start well after the acute phase is over. The article mentions:
- shortness of breath
- fatigue
- coughing
- body aches
- loss of taste or smell
- cognitive dysfunction
- anxiety
- depression
- brain fog
- memory loss
- tinnitus
- cardiovascular problems
- heart palpitations
- excessive hair loss
Weakness: It's pre-omicron.
Blood clots, heart problems, kidney failure: COVID creates a higher risk for rare pediatric health problems, new CDC study finds
Blood clots, heart problems, kidney failure: COVID creates a higher risk for rare pediatric health problems, new CDC study findsThey found that young people who had been diagnosed with COVID were about two times more likely to experience a blood clot in the lung—and nearly two times more likely to experience myocarditis cardiomyopathy, a disease that makes it more difficult for the heart to function correctly; or blood clots in veins—in the year following their illness.
They were also roughly 1.3 times as likely to experience kidney failure, as well as Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder that destroys the pancreas’s ability to make insulin, according to the study.
....An estimated 5% to 10% of children who’ve had COVID go on to develop long COVID..
References study: Post–COVID-19 Symptoms and Conditions Among Children and Adolescents.
Weakness: The vast majority of the data is pre-omicron.
Omicron patients may develop Long COVID less frequently than those who had other variants, study finds
Omicron patients may develop Long COVID less frequently than those who had other variants, study findsonly one Omicron patient out of 18 interviewed had long-term symptoms, versus 10 out of 18 in a group of similar patients who had other COVID variants.
References study: Post COVID-19 condition of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Weaknesses: It's a pre-print (ie: not peer reviewed) from early 2022, so it takes into account Omicron, but not later subvariants. Also, given the nature of Long-Covid, it can take more that 5 months to get a real handle on just how bad it is.
2 symptoms are emerging as dominant in long COVID cases
2 symptoms are emerging as dominant in long COVID cases[...] researchers have determined that about 5% of adults who reported an initial change in their sense of smell or taste after contracting COVID-19 may go on to have long-lasting issues with those senses.
According to new research from The BMJ, at least 15 million adults may experience long-term smell deficiencies, while 12 million adults may struggle with taste. The research also found that only 74% of patients reported smell recovery and 79% reported taste recovery 30 days after initial infection, but recovery rates increased with each passing month.
References study: Prognosis and persistence of smell and taste dysfunction in patients with covid-19: meta-analysis with parametric cure modelling of recovery curves (BMJ).
Weaknesses: It includes pre-Omicron cases, and it only deals with loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia).
7 things doctors who treat long COVID want you to know
7 things doctors who treat long COVID want you to knowIt's a mistitled article (as clickbait no doubt). It's just 7 things about Long COVID.
- The cause of long COVID is still unclear
- More severe infection heightens the risk
Englund estimates that 80% of the patients receiving treatment at the ReCOVer Clinic were never hospitalized. Dr. Benjamin Abramoff, director of the Post-COVID Assessment and Recovery Clinic at Penn Medicine, is seeing a similar pattern.
- Vaccination offers some protection
A study of 13 million people found that those who received the COVID vaccine were 15% less likely to develop long COVID than those who were unvaccinated; smaller studies have shown that those who received two doses of the COVID vaccine cut their risk of developing long COVID in half.
- Research is ongoing
- Delaying treatment affects recovery
The latest data shows that long-COVID symptoms lasted an average of 14.8 months among patients who were not hospitalized for COVID, with some patients experiencing long-COVID symptoms for 18 months following their initial COVID infection.
- Long-COVID treatment centers can help
- Long-COVID treatment scams abound
References studies: Long COVID after breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection (Nature) and Risk factors and disease profile of post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK users of the COVID Symptom Study app: a prospective, community-based, nested, case-control study (NIH).