Numerous individuals afflicted with Long Covid still experience fatigue and difficulty focusing despite the easing of the pandemic.
Researchers in the United States have recently acknowledged the presence of "Long Flu," indicating possible serious and enduring consequences in individuals with influenza. This observation stems from a recent study featured in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
For the study, the researchers monitored and compared data from 81,280 patients hospitalized due to a coronavirus infection or influenza over 18 months.
Both viral diseases carry an increased risk of lingering severe health issues after the acute phase (up to 30 days after infection), the group led by Ziyad al-Aly from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found.
However, the risk of enduring long-term symptoms was, on average, found to be higher following a coronavirus infection than after influenza.
"Although rates of death and adverse health outcomes following hospital admission for either seasonal influenza or COVID-19 are high, this comparative analysis shows that hospital admission for COVID-19 was associated with higher long-term risks of death and adverse health outcomes in nearly every organ system (except for the pulmonary system)," the researchers write in The Lancet.
The study did not focus on how often Long Covid or Long Flu cases occur in hospital patients.
"The study illustrates the high toll of death and loss of health following hospitalization with either COVID-19 or seasonal influenza," senior author al-Aly was quoted as saying in a press release by Washington University.
"It’s critical to note that the health risks were higher after the first 30 days of infection. Many think they’re over COVID-19 or the flu after being discharged from the hospital. That may be true for some people. But our research shows that both viruses can cause long-haul illness," the researcher said.
According to researchers, the idea that COVID-19 or flu are just acute illnesses overlooks their larger long-term effects on human health.