愛污传媒

Health

    • Long COVID symptoms create a greater burden of disability than heart disease or cancer, new study shows

    Share

    People who survived COVID-19 early in the pandemic, before there were vaccines, continued to be at higher risk for a slew of health problems for up to two years after they got over their initial infections, , and that was especially true if they were hospitalized.

    These health problems include heart problems, blood clots, diabetes, neurologic complications, fatigue and difficulties with mental health and have come to be known collectively as long COVID.

    When researchers tallied the risks for more than 80 different complications that are associated with long COVID, they translated the collective toll into a metric called a disability adjusted life year, or DALY. Each DALY represents one year of healthy life lost to illness. They found that long COVID generated more than 80 disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs, for every 1,000 people who weren鈥檛 hospitalized for their initial infection.

    That means long COVID creates a higher burden of disability than either heart disease or cancer, which cause about 52 and 50 DALYs for every 1,000 Americans, respectively, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation鈥檚 Global Burden of Disease study.

    鈥淲hen I looked at that initially, I was really shocked,鈥 said study author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, who is director of the clinical epidemiology center at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 actually a huge number.

    鈥淲e did the analyses multiple times and, and then it just always can come back to be to be the same.鈥

    After considering their findings, though, Al-Aly said it really shouldn鈥檛 be such a huge surprise that long COVID is so disabling, because it affects so many different parts of the body.

    Al-Aly said his study should be a wake-up call.

    鈥淚 think that we need to understand that infections lead to chronic disease and we need to take infection seriously,鈥 even when it seems to be mild, Al-Aly said.

    The study, which was published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, looked at the medical records of nearly 140,000 veterans who survived for 30 days after getting a COVID-19 infection in 2020, and compared their health outcomes to nearly 6 million other patients in the VA health system who had no evidence of infection.

    The study has some important caveats. On average, the people in the study were older, in their 60s, and almost 90% were male, so the findings may not translate to those who are younger or to women.

    None of the people in the study were vaccinated at the time they were infected because the vaccines had not been developed yet, and there weren鈥檛 yet antiviral treatments targeted to COVID-19. Studies have since shown that vaccination and early treatment can help curb long COVID risk.

    The researchers only included people in the COVID-19 infection group if they had a positive test, but tests were slow to roll out early in the pandemic, and the researchers say many people may have had the infection with no test results recorded in their medical records. That may have resulted in some people being included in the control group when they should have been in the infection group. If that was a large number of people, the study authors say, their results may be an underestimation of the true risks people faced post-infection.

    Al-Aly said he used this group because he wanted to learn more about the long-term outcomes for people who get COVID-19, and he needed to find patients who were more than two years past their infections, so these risks may have gone down over time as vaccines and better treatments were developed.

    Still, the study paints a sobering picture of how long people faced physical consequences from early infections.

    The study found people who were not hospitalized with COVID-19, still had an elevated risk of death for about six months after they first got sick.

    Over the two years, their risk of having many long COVID symptoms went down, but it remained elevated for about one-third of the 77 ailments that were studied. Some of those lingering problems included blood clots, a slower than normal heartbeat, fatigue, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, sleep problems, muscle and joint pain, headache, hearing and smell loss, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

    People in the group who had to be treated in the hospital for an initial COVID-19 infection fared even worse. They remained at increased risk for death and hospitalization for at least two years after they recovered from their acute symptoms.

    Out of 77 different long COVID issues studied, people who were hospitalized remained at elevated risk for about two-thirds of them even two years later. These included heart problems, stomach problems, memory and thinking difficulties, blood clots, diabetes and lung problems. They were also more likely to have a substance use disorder, including for alcohol and opioids. They were also more likely to report contemplating suicide.

    鈥淥ur findings highlight the substantial cumulative burden of health loss due to long COVID, and emphasize the ongoing need for health care for those faced with long COVID,鈥 said Al-Aly.

    鈥淚t appears that the effects of long COVID for many will not only impact such patients and their quality of life, but potentially will contribute to a decline in life expectancy, and also may impact labor participation, economic productivity, and societal well-being.鈥

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by 愛污传媒 Toronto show.

    Canada

    • Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    • At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    • A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

    • The owners of a North York condominium say they are facing a $70,000 special assessment to fix their building's parking garage. '$70,000 is a lot of money. It makes me very nervous and stressed out of nowhere for this huge debt to come in,' said Ligeng Guo.

    • The federal Fisheries Department says it is concerned about a "pattern" of violence and threats toward its enforcement officers after two tense incidents off southwestern Nova Scotia last month.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • Staff at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital are calling for systemic changes just two days after its emergency room was more than three times above its capacity.

    • An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A five-seat sushi counter located inside another restaurant is the latest Vancouver eatery to receive a Michelin star.

    • What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    Sports

    Autos

    • A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.

    • A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

    Local Spotlight

    Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

    From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

    A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

    The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

    A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

    Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

    What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

    New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is vowing to raise British Columbia's speculation and vacancy tax on empty homes if re-elected premier this month.

    • One day after a man was stabbed to death in East Vancouver, a 27-year-old woman has been charged with murder.

    • A Vancouver tenant is at war with his former landlord over what he calls an exorbitant charge for bent blinds.

    • Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

    • A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by 愛污传媒 Toronto show.

    • Police forces in the Toronto area have stepped up their presence in Jewish and Muslim communities as the one-year anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel inches closer.

    • Martha Hart, the widow of Calgary wrestler Owen Hart, is speaking out after the release of Netflix's 'Mr. McMahon' documentary series, which she says inaccurately portrays her husband's death as an accident.

    • Authorities say two Calgarians were arrested and charged in "a complex scheme" involving stolen vehicles.

    • Rural Albertans say they鈥檙e being penalized by high utility fees and some municipalities are asking the government to step in and equalize costs throughout the province.

    • The owner of a Gatineau, Que. caf茅 says it's 'silly' that Quebec's language watchdog is telling the business to write its Instagram posts in French.

    • Raise your glass and make a toast to a new Distillery in eastern Ontario. Artist in Residence (AIR) Distillerie has launched in Hawkesbury. This is the second location for the company, who has an existing operation in Gatineau.

    • After 25 years, Rev. Anthony Bailey has retired as the coordinating minister of Parkdale United Church. A farewell event to celebrate Rev. Bailey will be held on Saturday at Parkdale United Church on Parkdale Avenue.

    • At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.

    • Classes and campus activities at CEGEP de Valleyfield were cancelled Friday morning as a result of a police operation.

    • Public transport users who regularly use Fabre, d'Iberville and Saint-Michel stations on the Montreal metro's blue line will have to be patient, as the emergency closure of the three stations announced on Thursday evening could stretch out over 'a few days, or even a few weeks.'

    • Following the Alberta government鈥檚 recent announcement of capital funding to build charter and independent schools, the Investigative Journalism Foundation has found that several consultants with ties to the United Conservative Party (UCP) have been lobbying on behalf of charter schools and associated organizations over the past year.

    • Rural Albertans say they鈥檙e being penalized by high utility fees and some municipalities are asking the government to step in and equalize costs throughout the province.

    • There were a lot of flapjacks being flipped in downtown Edmonton Friday morning, as upwards of 1,000 rodeo fans attended a pancake breakfast at Fan Park hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and Explore Edmonton.

    • A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

    • The federal Fisheries Department says it is concerned about a "pattern" of violence and threats toward its enforcement officers after two tense incidents off southwestern Nova Scotia last month.

    • A 31-year-old man is facing theft and break-in charges in connection to a vandalism incident at the Fredericton Public Library that caused tens of thousands of dollars of damages over the weekend.

    • Police say a 16-year-old boy has died after an assault outside a northern Manitoba home.

    • The Opposition Tories introduced a motion to get the justice system to take another look at the case of Jordyn Reimer.

    • Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

    • NDP Leader Carla Beck says she would cut $58 million in spending during her first year as premier should her party win the Saskatchewan election set for Oct. 28.

    • Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says if re-elected, his government would introduce a Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit aimed at making renovations more affordable.

    • Indigenous leaders say two staff at a Saskatchewan courthouse were told to go home and take off the orange shirts they wore for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • Waterloo Regional Police have laid charges after a car crashed into the side of a Kitchener home at 3:30 a.m.

    • A DoorDash driver who was caught on camera appearing to spit into an Ontario man鈥檚 drink has been removed from the platform, the food delivery company has confirmed.

    • Two serious crashes shut down Highway 401 early Friday morning in Puslinch, Ont.

    • Saskatoon police arrested a homeless person at the scene of an encampment underneath the University Bridge on Friday morning.

    • Indigenous leaders say two staff at a Saskatchewan courthouse were told to go home and take off the orange shirts they wore for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • NDP Leader Carla Beck says she would cut $58 million in spending during her first year as premier should her party win the Saskatchewan election set for Oct. 28.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    • An outfitter in Kenora, Ont., and two individuals have been fined a total of $9,500 for bear hunting offences, including abandoning a bear they shot and using it as bait to hunt another bear.

    • A suspect who accused Thunder Bay police of being responsible for his throat injury actually hurt himself when he swallowed a large amount of drugs.

    • Middlesex OPP have shuttered a road between Mount Brydges and Komoka today - Amiens Road is currently closed between Glendon Drive and Oriole Drive.

    • According to police, officers responded to the 600 block of Tennent Avenue for a, "report of a possible stabbing" around 9 p.m. on Thursday.

    • The London Police Service said that it鈥檚 stepping up police presence around Jewish and Muslim places of worship as the October 7 anniversary of the start of the Israel Hamas war draws near.

    • Police in Barrie allegedly seized a semi-automatic pistol and drugs during an overnight investigation that resulted in the arrest of three men downtown.

    • The Ministry of Labour is investigating a workplace incident that claimed the lives of two people in Georgian Bluffs, south of Owen Sound.

    • A Midland woman is facing several charges after police say she bit an officer while being arrested for an alleged armed confrontation.

    • A London, Ont. man, who pleaded guilty earlier this year in a harassment case, has been sentenced to two months in jail for criminal harassment of a Windsor, Ont. family.

    • The Windsor Police Service (WPS) are looking for a witness to a collision between a pedestrian and vehicle in September.

    • Windsor fire has named its new fire chief, effective on Jan. 1, 2025.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is vowing to raise British Columbia's speculation and vacancy tax on empty homes if re-elected premier this month.

    • Politicians are continuing to promote their promises across British Columbia as the provincial election campaign nears its midway point.

    • One person is dead after a floatplane carrying three people crashed Wednesday evening in a remote inlet on British Columbia's central coast.

    • Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week 鈥 and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.

    • A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.

    • The officer who shot and killed a forcible confinement suspect in Kamloops two years ago was justified in doing so, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

    • WestJet has changed its operations at the Lethbridge Airport, and it means there's now only a single daily flight from Lethbridge to Calgary, down from three flights a day, as offered previously.

    • Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue has been open about six years and, like many other animal rescues, it has seen a surge in surrenders.

    • It鈥檚 almost deadline day for Lethbridge residents interested in becoming members of one of the city鈥檚 boards, commissions and committees (BCCs).

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

    • A suspect who accused Thunder Bay police of being responsible for his throat injury actually hurt himself when he swallowed a large amount of drugs.

    • An outfitter in Kenora, Ont., and two individuals have been fined a total of $9,500 for bear hunting offences, including abandoning a bear they shot and using it as bait to hunt another bear.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒