Filenews 8 November 2021
People with rheumatic diseases face an increased risk of "long Covid-19" if they get sick from the coronavirus, a new U.S. scientific study shows.
This means that they are more likely to experience for over a month various symptoms, such as loss of taste or smell, muscle aches, difficulty concentrating, etc.
Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery Medical Center in New York, led by rheumatologist Dr. Minta Marbaya, who made the announcement at the annual conference of the American College of Rheumatology, analyzed data on 7,505 people over the age of 18 who had rheumatological problems from 2018 to 2020.
It was found that of those who had tested positive for the coronavirus, more than half (56%) reported that they had had Symptoms of Covid-19 for at least a month.
The risk of long Covid-19 is greater for smokers with rheumatic diseases, those who have comorbidities (asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart failure, etc.) and those who take corticosteroid drugs.
Moreover, the researchers ruled out the possibility that the similar symptoms of fibromyalgia (fatigue, muscle aches, etc.) were misinterpreted as a long Covid-19, which had been raised as an issue.
