Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Sept 13, 2024 4:09:04 GMT
70 per cent of Hong Kong Covid victims experience long-term after-effects, survey of 10,000 patients finds - Published April 20, 2023
By Laura Westbrook
About 70 per cent of people in Hong Kong infected with the coronavirus had at least one symptom of long Covid five months after they became ill and one in 10 suffered from reproductive health and menstrual problems, a survey has found.
Researchers at Chinese University released the results on Thursday of what was said to be Asia’s largest examination of long Covid, involving more than 10,000 people in the city, aged from one to 102, who had caught the coronavirus.
Almost all of them – 97 per cent – had been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Professor Francis Chan Ka-leung, the university’s dean of medicine and director of its Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, said the survey showed long Covid was common and that more resources were needed to tackle its effects.
“Health education and dissemination of relevant information to the public and healthcare practitioners is essential,” he said. “Stronger support in the primary care system is also needed for referring patients with complex conditions to specialists.”
Chan also appealed for a specialist long Covid clinic to deal with complex cases.
The online survey, which relied on information provided by those surveyed rather than clinical examination, was conducted from July to December last year.
Researchers found 70 per cent of respondents had at least one long Covid symptom an average of five months after infection.
About 12 per cent of long Covid patients – 80 per cent of them women – experienced reproductive problems, including irregular menstruation, sexual dysfunction or increased sensitivity in the groin area.
A total of 38 per cent reported a variety of symptoms, including poor memory, difficulty in concentrating, insomnia, anxiety, bad moods, reduced motivation and changes in their sleeping patterns.
Symptoms lasted for more than three years in some patients.
Women aged 45 and over and people who had to be hospitalised because of the disease had the highest risk of developing long Covid.
The research team estimated that if 5 million Hongkongers had been infected with the coronavirus, 3.5 million could have experienced long Covid and about 420,000 people might be suffering from reproductive health problems as a result.
One in four of those surveyed who had reproductive dysfunction reported it had a major impact on personal relationships.
More than half of those who responded had not sought medical help or did not have access to sufficient information on long Covid treatment.
Two thirds of respondents reported feeling overwhelmed or helpless in the face of their symptoms.
Professor Siew Chien Ng, of Chinese University and the director of the Microbiota-I Centre, warned that symptoms of long Covid should not be ignored.
“We were quite alarmed to find that this is such an under-reported problem. People don’t talk a lot about reproductive problems and sexual dysfunction after Covid,” she said.
Ng explained symptoms in women who had recovered from the infection included irregular periods and pain in the groin, while men reported reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction and sensitivity in the groin area.
She said the coronavirus invaded the body by targeting a receptor called ACE2, commonly found in reproductive organs such as testicles, ovaries and the uterus.
Ng added the Hong Kong research was in line with British findings, with one study involving the health records of 2.4 million people recording reduced libido, ejaculation difficulties and hair loss as symptoms of long Covid.
But Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, the co-chairman of the Medical Association’s advisory committee on communicable diseases, highlighted that other factors, such as stress, could be contributory factors in reproductive problems in men and women.
He explained diabetes and hypertension could contribute to erectile dysfunction and hormonal changes could affect menstruation.
Tsang said having a control group – where the same questions were asked of people who had not been infected with the coronavirus – would make the results of the survey more scientific.
Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, a top infectious disease expert, said it was important to have baseline information for subjects as some of the respondents might already have suffered from problems before Covid-19, including depression, anxiety and sexual dysfunction.
“Overall, long Covid in Hong Kong is rare as most are treated early and Omicron-related long Covid is rare compared to previous variants,” Hung said.
The World Health Organization said long Covid was accompanied by symptoms that lasted for at least two months within the first three months of infection.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong last year carried out a study of testicular and hormonal changes in hamsters infected with the virus. They discovered the coronavirus could damage testicles, lower sex drive and affect fertility.
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung and his team found that infected hamsters suffered from a sharp drop in sperm count and testosterone four to seven days after infection.
The rodents also developed chronic asymmetric testicular atrophy – decreased size and weight of the testicles.
By Laura Westbrook
About 70 per cent of people in Hong Kong infected with the coronavirus had at least one symptom of long Covid five months after they became ill and one in 10 suffered from reproductive health and menstrual problems, a survey has found.
Researchers at Chinese University released the results on Thursday of what was said to be Asia’s largest examination of long Covid, involving more than 10,000 people in the city, aged from one to 102, who had caught the coronavirus.
Almost all of them – 97 per cent – had been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Professor Francis Chan Ka-leung, the university’s dean of medicine and director of its Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, said the survey showed long Covid was common and that more resources were needed to tackle its effects.
“Health education and dissemination of relevant information to the public and healthcare practitioners is essential,” he said. “Stronger support in the primary care system is also needed for referring patients with complex conditions to specialists.”
Chan also appealed for a specialist long Covid clinic to deal with complex cases.
The online survey, which relied on information provided by those surveyed rather than clinical examination, was conducted from July to December last year.
Researchers found 70 per cent of respondents had at least one long Covid symptom an average of five months after infection.
About 12 per cent of long Covid patients – 80 per cent of them women – experienced reproductive problems, including irregular menstruation, sexual dysfunction or increased sensitivity in the groin area.
A total of 38 per cent reported a variety of symptoms, including poor memory, difficulty in concentrating, insomnia, anxiety, bad moods, reduced motivation and changes in their sleeping patterns.
Symptoms lasted for more than three years in some patients.
Women aged 45 and over and people who had to be hospitalised because of the disease had the highest risk of developing long Covid.
The research team estimated that if 5 million Hongkongers had been infected with the coronavirus, 3.5 million could have experienced long Covid and about 420,000 people might be suffering from reproductive health problems as a result.
One in four of those surveyed who had reproductive dysfunction reported it had a major impact on personal relationships.
More than half of those who responded had not sought medical help or did not have access to sufficient information on long Covid treatment.
Two thirds of respondents reported feeling overwhelmed or helpless in the face of their symptoms.
Professor Siew Chien Ng, of Chinese University and the director of the Microbiota-I Centre, warned that symptoms of long Covid should not be ignored.
“We were quite alarmed to find that this is such an under-reported problem. People don’t talk a lot about reproductive problems and sexual dysfunction after Covid,” she said.
Ng explained symptoms in women who had recovered from the infection included irregular periods and pain in the groin, while men reported reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction and sensitivity in the groin area.
She said the coronavirus invaded the body by targeting a receptor called ACE2, commonly found in reproductive organs such as testicles, ovaries and the uterus.
Ng added the Hong Kong research was in line with British findings, with one study involving the health records of 2.4 million people recording reduced libido, ejaculation difficulties and hair loss as symptoms of long Covid.
But Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, the co-chairman of the Medical Association’s advisory committee on communicable diseases, highlighted that other factors, such as stress, could be contributory factors in reproductive problems in men and women.
He explained diabetes and hypertension could contribute to erectile dysfunction and hormonal changes could affect menstruation.
Tsang said having a control group – where the same questions were asked of people who had not been infected with the coronavirus – would make the results of the survey more scientific.
Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, a top infectious disease expert, said it was important to have baseline information for subjects as some of the respondents might already have suffered from problems before Covid-19, including depression, anxiety and sexual dysfunction.
“Overall, long Covid in Hong Kong is rare as most are treated early and Omicron-related long Covid is rare compared to previous variants,” Hung said.
The World Health Organization said long Covid was accompanied by symptoms that lasted for at least two months within the first three months of infection.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong last year carried out a study of testicular and hormonal changes in hamsters infected with the virus. They discovered the coronavirus could damage testicles, lower sex drive and affect fertility.
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung and his team found that infected hamsters suffered from a sharp drop in sperm count and testosterone four to seven days after infection.
The rodents also developed chronic asymmetric testicular atrophy – decreased size and weight of the testicles.