长新冠患疲劳感比晚期癌症更强，但获得的理解很少
像很多隐形疾病一样，长新冠的影响远比很多健康人士想象中更严重。
英国一项新研究揭示，长新冠会导致人身体极其衰弱，数千名患者报告称出现机能障碍、容易疲劳和生活质量不佳，状况甚至比患有严重乃至有性命之虞的疾病（如晚期癌症、帕金森病和终末期肾病）的患者更糟糕。
伦敦大学学院（University College London）和埃克塞特大学（University of Exeter）的研究人员调查了近4000名转诊到长新冠诊所的英国成年人。他们发现，长新冠患者遭遇的机能障碍通常比中风患者更严重，与帕金森病患者相似，影响工作、家庭生活和休闲活动。
半数患者报告称上个月因长新冠症状误工一天或多天，五分之一患者报告称上个月误工三到四周。
研究参与者还报告称，健康相关生活质量低到难以想象，得分与晚期癌症患者相似。作者写道，通常情况下癌症4期患者的生活质量都比长新冠患者要好。
机能受损和低生活质量背后的主要原因是疲劳，通常比患有终末期肾病或癌症和贫血的患者情况更糟。研究人员报告称，其他影响生活质量的症状包括呼吸困难、焦虑、抑郁和脑雾等。
该研究主要作者，全科医生，也是伦敦大学学院教授亨利·古德费洛在新闻稿中表示，尽管高达17%的新冠患者会出现病毒感染后疾病，人们对长新冠的了解仍然很粗浅。
“我们的研究发现，长新冠会对患者的生活造成毁灭性影响，其中疲劳对社交活动到工作、家务和保持亲密关系等各方面的影响最大，”他表示。
埃克塞特大学医学统计学教授，也是该研究另一位作者威廉·亨里指出，长新冠会导致人们比某些癌症患者更疲劳，且生活质量更差，“然而获得的支持和理解不可同日而语。”
“我们迫切需要更多研究从而开展实证服务，帮助人们应付这一致人衰弱的新疾病。”他说。
长新冠的症状
虽然长新冠或新冠急性后遗症（PASC）的定义各不相同，通常是指新冠感染后出现的新症状，或在感染后不久出现然后持续12周或更久的症状。
多位专家表示，真正的长新冠最好定义为感染新冠后出现的慢性疲劳综合征，类似感染疱疹、莱姆病和埃博拉等病后可能出现的病毒感染后疾病。
专家认为，至于其他一些新冠并发症，例如器官损伤，还有重症监护后综合征，即病人因插管和长期卧床等痛苦住院经历患上的后遗症，不应视为长新冠。
患者和临床医生同样面临的问题是，该疾病可能导致大量其他症状。如今已确定的症状包括200多种，从持续咳嗽和耳朵麻木到“大脑着火”感，以及新出现的勃起功能障碍等等。
根据去年夏天《柳叶刀》上一项里程碑式的研究，哪怕症状最终消退，长新冠患者在彻底康复之前九个月或更长时间里，平均出现60种症状，涉及九个或更多器官。（财富中文网）
译者：梁宇
审校：夏林
像很多隐形疾病一样，长新冠的影响远比很多健康人士想象中更严重。
英国一项新研究揭示，长新冠会导致人身体极其衰弱，数千名患者报告称出现机能障碍、容易疲劳和生活质量不佳，状况甚至比患有严重乃至有性命之虞的疾病（如晚期癌症、帕金森病和终末期肾病）的患者更糟糕。
伦敦大学学院（University College London）和埃克塞特大学（University of Exeter）的研究人员调查了近4000名转诊到长新冠诊所的英国成年人。他们发现，长新冠患者遭遇的机能障碍通常比中风患者更严重，与帕金森病患者相似，影响工作、家庭生活和休闲活动。
半数患者报告称上个月因长新冠症状误工一天或多天，五分之一患者报告称上个月误工三到四周。
研究参与者还报告称，健康相关生活质量低到难以想象，得分与晚期癌症患者相似。作者写道，通常情况下癌症4期患者的生活质量都比长新冠患者要好。
机能受损和低生活质量背后的主要原因是疲劳，通常比患有终末期肾病或癌症和贫血的患者情况更糟。研究人员报告称，其他影响生活质量的症状包括呼吸困难、焦虑、抑郁和脑雾等。
该研究主要作者，全科医生，也是伦敦大学学院教授亨利·古德费洛在新闻稿中表示，尽管高达17%的新冠患者会出现病毒感染后疾病，人们对长新冠的了解仍然很粗浅。
“我们的研究发现，长新冠会对患者的生活造成毁灭性影响，其中疲劳对社交活动到工作、家务和保持亲密关系等各方面的影响最大，”他表示。
埃克塞特大学医学统计学教授，也是该研究另一位作者威廉·亨里指出，长新冠会导致人们比某些癌症患者更疲劳，且生活质量更差，“然而获得的支持和理解不可同日而语。”
“我们迫切需要更多研究从而开展实证服务，帮助人们应付这一致人衰弱的新疾病。”他说。
长新冠的症状
虽然长新冠或新冠急性后遗症（PASC）的定义各不相同，通常是指新冠感染后出现的新症状，或在感染后不久出现然后持续12周或更久的症状。
多位专家表示，真正的长新冠最好定义为感染新冠后出现的慢性疲劳综合征，类似感染疱疹、莱姆病和埃博拉等病后可能出现的病毒感染后疾病。
专家认为，至于其他一些新冠并发症，例如器官损伤，还有重症监护后综合征，即病人因插管和长期卧床等痛苦住院经历患上的后遗症，不应视为长新冠。
患者和临床医生同样面临的问题是，该疾病可能导致大量其他症状。如今已确定的症状包括200多种，从持续咳嗽和耳朵麻木到“大脑着火”感，以及新出现的勃起功能障碍等等。
根据去年夏天《柳叶刀》上一项里程碑式的研究，哪怕症状最终消退，长新冠患者在彻底康复之前九个月或更长时间里，平均出现60种症状，涉及九个或更多器官。（财富中文网）
译者：梁宇
审校：夏林
Long COVID—like so many invisible illnesses—is far more impactful than many healthy individuals realize.
A new study out of the U.K. reveals the extreme extent of its debilitating nature, with thousands of patients reporting more trouble functioning, greater fatigue, and lower quality of life than those with serious and even life-threatening medical conditions like advanced cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and end-stage kidney disease.
Researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Exeter surveyed nearly 4,000 U.K. adults who had been referred to long-COVID clinics. They found that functional impairment—affecting their ability to work, keep up their homes, and enjoy leisure activities—was generally worse among such patients than it was in those who had experienced a stroke, and was similar to that of Parkinson’s disease patients.
Half of patients reported missing work one or more days the previous month because of symptoms, and a fifth reported missing between three and four weeks of work during the previous month.
Study participants also reported dismally low health-related quality of life, with scores similar to those of patients with advanced cancer. Quality of life is generally better among stage 4 lung cancer patients than it is among long-COVID patients, the authors wrote.
The driving factor behind functional impairment and low quality of life is fatigue, which is generally worse than that experienced by those who have end-stage kidney disease or both cancer and anemia. Other symptoms that impact quality of life include breathlessness, anxiety, depression, and brain fog, researchers reported.
While up to 17% of COVID patients go on to develop the post-viral illness, long COVID is still poorly understood, Dr. Henry Goodfellow, a general practitioner, professor at UCL, and lead author of the study, said in a news release.
“Our results have found that long COVID can have a devastating effect on the lives of patients, with fatigue having the biggest impact on everything from social activities to work, chores, and maintaining close relationships,” he said.
William Henley, a professor of medical statistics at the University of Exeter and another author of the study, noted that while long COVID can leave people more fatigued and with worse quality of life than those with some cancers, “support and understanding is not at the same level.”
“We urgently need more research to enable the development of evidence-based services to support people trying to manage this debilitating new condition,” he said.
Symptoms of long COVID
While definitions of long COVID—or post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC)—vary, it’s generally defined as new symptoms that occur with COVID infection, or develop shortly thereafter, and last for 12 or more weeks.
True long COVID, many experts say, is best defined as a chronic fatigue syndrome–like condition that develops after a COVID infection, similar to other post-viral syndromes that can occur after an infection with herpes, Lyme disease, and Ebola, among others.
Other post-COVID complications like organ damage and post–intensive care syndrome—experienced by patients with traumatic hospital stays that include intubation and prolonged bed confinement—should not be considered long COVID, they contend.
The trouble for patients and clinicians alike is the vast array of other symptoms that can occur with the condition. More than 200 have been identified, from lingering cough and ear numbness to a sensation of “brain on fire” and new erectile dysfunction.
Those with long COVID experienced an average of 60 symptoms in nine different organ systems over nine or more months before recovering, if symptoms ever subsided, according to a landmark study published last summer in The Lancet.
