(Press-News.org) Being vaccinated against Covid halves people’s risk of developing long Covid, according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
Long Covid still affects some two million people in the UK, and new research published today reveals the risk factors associated with developing the condition.
Overweight people, women, smokers and those over the age of 40 are also more likely to suffer from long Covid according to the study - which includes more than 860,000 patients and is thought to be the largest of its kind.
The study also finds that co-morbidities such as asthma, COPD, Type 2 Diabetes, coronary heart disease, immunosuppression, anxiety and depression are also associated with increased risk of long Covid.
And patients who are hospitalised during their acute Covid infection are also more likely to experience long Covid.
Prof Vassilios Vassiliou, from UEA's Norwich Medical School and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said: “Long Covid is a complex condition that develops during or after having covid, and it is classified as such when symptoms continue for more than 12 weeks.
“Just over two million people in the UK are thought to suffer with long Covid and it affects people in different ways. Breathlessness, a cough, heart palpitations, headaches, and severe fatigue are among the most prevalent symptoms.
“Other symptoms may include chest pain or tightness, brain fog, insomnia, dizziness, joint pain, depression and anxiety, tinnitus, loss of appetite, headaches, and changes to sense of smell or taste.
“We wanted to find out what factors might make people more or less susceptible to developing long Covid.”
The team looked at data from 41 studies around the world, involving a total of 860,783 patients, to investigate the risk factors for developing long Covid.
Prof Vassiliou said: “We found that female sex, older age, increased BMI and smoking are associated with an increased risk of long Covid.
“In addition, co-morbidities such as asthma, COPD, Type 2 Diabetes, coronary heart disease, immunosuppression, anxiety and depression are also associated with increased risk.
“Furthermore, severe illness during the acute phase as reflected by the need for hospitalisation or admission to an intensive care unit, is also associated with the development of long Covid.
“Conversely, it was reassuring to see that people who had been vaccinated had significantly less risk - almost half the risk - of developing long Covid compared to unvaccinated participants.
“These findings are important because they enable us to better understand who may develop long Covid and also advocate for the benefit of vaccination.”
Co-author Dr Eleana Ntatsaki from UCL and Ipswich Hospital (part of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust), said: “Our findings help define the full demographic characteristics and the risk factors for developing Long Covid. We can now better understand and serve this population with long term care planning, support for Long Covid clinics and increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of the condition.
“Furthermore, we can have a better strategy for optimising any modifiable risk factors, with public health promotion campaigns, encouraging smoking cessation, vaccination and healthy weight management in the target population.”
This research was led by the University of East Anglia in collaboration with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Cambridge University Hospitals, Ipswich Hospital and University College London.
Some of the research team has been funded and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
‘Risk Factors Associated With Post-COVID-19 Condition - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’ is published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.0750
END
Vaccination halves risk of long COVID, largest study to date shows
Peer reviewed – meta analysis – humans
2023-03-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Risk factors associated with post−COVID-19 condition
2023-03-23
About The Study: This systematic review and meta-analysis of 41 studies including 860,000 patients found that certain demographic characteristics (e.g., age and sex), comorbidities, and severe COVID-19 were associated with an increased risk of post−COVID-19 condition (PCC; also known as long COVID), whereas vaccination had a protective role against developing PCC sequelae. These findings may enable a better understanding of who may develop PCC and provide additional evidence for the benefits of vaccination.
Authors: Vassilios ...
Association of treatment with nirmatrelvir and the risk of post–COVID-19 condition
2023-03-23
About The Study: This cohort study found that in people with SARS-CoV-2 infection who had at least one risk factor for progression to severe disease, treatment with nirmatrelvir within five days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result was associated with reduced risk of post−COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID) across the risk spectrum in this cohort and regardless of vaccination status and history of prior infection. The totality of the findings suggests that treatment with nirmatrelvir ...
Mental distress among female individuals of reproductive age after overturning of Roe v Wade
2023-03-23
About The Study: This case control study found that for female individuals, the loss of abortion rights was associated with a 10% increase in prevalence of mental distress relative to the mean over the three months after the Supreme Court of the U.S. decision. Restricting legal abortion access may be associated with disproportionate outcomes among individuals of lower socioeconomic status and in medically underserved areas, who may experience greater economic and mental health burdens of having unwanted pregnancies due to increased travel costs of obtaining abortions.
Authors: Muzhe Yang, Ph.D., of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, ...
SARS‐CoV‐2 infection during pregnancy linked to higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in male infants
2023-03-23
BOSTON – New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of Mass General Brigham (MGB), found that males but not females born to mothers with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection during pregnancy were more likely to receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis in the first 12 months after delivery. The findings are published in JAMA Network Open.
Previous studies have found associations between other infections during pregnancy and increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, such as autism spectrum disorder, but it’s unclear if such a link exists with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection during pregnancy. To investigate, ...
Sylvester Cancer investigators find disparities in mesothelioma survival due to social determinants, limited access
2023-03-23
MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023, AT 11 A.M. ET) – Treatment outcomes for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer commonly known as mesothelioma, are often affected by social determinants of health and overall survival rates could be improved by addressing these health disparities and improving access to specialized care.
That’s the key takeaway from new research published March 23 by investigators at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and collaborators, whose study appears in the journal JAMA Network Open.
“We found that mesothelioma patients who ...
Fat-burning molecule may be promising target for most common childhood brain cancer
2023-03-23
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Research from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center experts revealed a type of RNA, previously considered to be “junk,” that may help doctors distinguish and treat a subgroup of patients with medulloblastoma.
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, accounting for about 20% of all pediatric brain cancers. Four groups of medulloblastomas have been identified, and one is named sonic hedgehog (SHH) because of the spiky, hedgehog-like appearance of fruit flies ...
Blocked cell wall formation stops bacterial cell division
2023-03-23
We still do not understand exactly how antibiotics kill bacteria. However, this understanding is necessary if we want to develop new antibiotics. And that is precisely what is urgently needed, because bacteria are currently showing more and more resistance to existing antibiotics. Therefore, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn used high-performance microscopes to observe the effect of different antibiotics on the cell division of Staphylococcus aureus. They found that the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, core component of the bacterial cell wall, is the driving force during the entire process of cell division. In ...
Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy to honor Dr. Crystal Mackall with Edward Netter Leadership Award
2023-03-23
Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) will award the Edward Netter Leadership Award to Crystal Mackall, MD, of Stanford University, at the ACGT Awards Luncheon on March 30 at Riverpark restaurant at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, located at 450 E. 29th St., New York City.
Named for ACGT co-founder, Edward Netter, the award recognizes a researcher who has made unparalleled and groundbreaking contributions to the field of cell and gene therapy for cancer. Dr. Mackall is a leader in advancing cell and gene therapies for the treatment of solid tumors, with a major focus on children’s cancers.
In addition to being an ACGT Research ...
Measuring impacts of climate change on heritage to be explored at conference
2023-03-23
Issues around the loss of coastal heritage due to climate change and how these can be effectively addressed in policy will be discussed during a major conference taking place at the University of East Anglia (UEA) next week.
The conference will discuss a range of pressing issues including how behavioural science can inform choices about what should be saved and how archaeological landscapes are valued, to the human cost of heritage loss and the role art and exhibitions play in addressing ecological crisis.
Heritage takes many forms, and includes physical artifacts, buildings and ecosystems, but also the rich cultural and social aspects ...
Tools for more accurate obesity risk assessment based on sex, ethnicity
2023-03-23
For decades, health care practitioners have used body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of a person’s health. But this equation only considers height and weight, and may not capture an accurate picture of a person’s risk for obesity-related diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Jacob Earp, assistant professor of kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, recently published papers in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases that include a series of equations that add simple circumference measurements to better predict how a person’s ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project
[Press-News.org] Vaccination halves risk of long COVID, largest study to date showsPeer reviewed – meta analysis – humans