Long COVID more likely in autoimmune disease patients

Nearly 30% of people with autoimmune disease seem to be affected by long COVID after infection, says data in The Journal of Rheumatology. Joint pain, brain fog and fatigue are the most common symptoms reported.

A team recruited 1,615 adults with autoimmune diseases who had received at least one COVID vaccine. Questionnaires assessed the persistence and severity of symptoms in the 590 people who went on to get “mild” COVID. Long COVID was defined as symptoms that last for over 12 weeks and these were divided into five areas: neurological/psychological; fatigue; cardiopulmonary; gastrointestinal; and musculoskeletal.

“The most common symptoms were fatigue, ‘brain fog,’ and joint pain/swelling,” researcher Dr William Werbel explains. “Some people reported symptoms across all five organ domains, whereas others only reported a single symptom.

“People with autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease endure higher rates of severe acute COVID-19 related to chronic medical conditions and immunosuppressive medications.”

We recently reported that some arthritis drugs may relieve symptoms of long COVID. Click here for more.

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