Health
Women more likely to suffer from ‘long COVID,’ but healthy habits can lower the risk
When 33-year-old Katie Timmerman examined optimistic for COVID-19 in January 2022, the busy vice chairman of a PR agency in Oklahoma Metropolis, Oklahoma, figured she’d be sick for a number of days.
Her solely signs have been a foul headache and a sore throat, she stated.
However then the complications grew worse and have been generally debilitating — and so they by no means left.
COVID-19’S LASTING IMPACT: ‘LESS ATTRACTIVE’ PEOPLE WEAR MASKS MORE OFTEN THAN OTHERS, STUDY FINDS
Now, over a yr later, Timmerman nonetheless experiences extreme day by day complications, one thing she stated she by no means handled earlier than she got here down with the virus.
“They at all times originate at the back of my head, reaching from ear to ear and descending into my neck,” she informed Fox Information Digital.
Extreme day by day complications are a typical symptom of lengthy COVID. One sufferer in Oklahoma (not pictured) informed Fox Information Digital, “Conventional ache relievers and most migraine medicines do not contact them.” (iStock)
“Conventional ache relievers and most migraine medicines do not contact them.”
Typically the complications include nausea and bouts of mind fog, she stated — which make it tough for her to focus or assume clearly.
Timmerman is amongst many — one in each 13 adults within the U.S., per CDC knowledge — that suffer from “lengthy COVID,” which is marked by signs that persist for 3 months or longer after an infection.
Girls are almost twice as seemingly as males to fall into this group, the CDC additionally stated.
Now, a brand new examine led by Harvard T.H. Chan Faculty of Public Well being, which was printed in JAMA Inside Drugs, suggests that ladies who take steps towards a wholesome life-style can lower their lengthy COVID threat in half.
LONG COVID-19 MAY BE CAUSED BY ABNORMALLY SUPRESSED IMMUNE SYSTEM IN SOME PEOPLE: UCLA-LED STUDY
In 2017, as a part of a previous examine, greater than 32,000 feminine nurses starting from ages 55 to 75 accomplished questionnaires about their health-related behaviors. Later, for the lengthy COVID examine, researchers analyzed almost 2,000 of these girls who had examined optimistic between April 2020 and November 2021.
6 wholesome life-style elements that matter
When figuring out the well being of every girl’s life-style, researchers thought of six vital elements: food plan/vitamin, bodily exercise, physique mass index (BMI), smoking exercise, alcohol consumption and sleep patterns.
Girls who led wholesome existence for many of these elements have been about half as prone to undergo from lengthy COVID in comparison with those that didn’t present wholesome behaviors in any of the six areas.
A brand new examine suggests that ladies who take steps towards a wholesome life-style can lower their threat of lengthy COVID in half. (iStock)
The examine additionally discovered that unhealthy life-style elements contributed to power irritation, blood clots and disruptions to the immune system, all of which have been related to lengthy COVID.
RARE MULTISYSTEM INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME APPEARS IN SOME TEENAGERS AFTER COVID-19 VACCINATION: STUDY
The findings didn’t shock Dr. Christian Sandrock, who focuses on rising infectious illnesses on the UC Davis Medical Heart in Sacramento, California.
His clinic has handled a whole bunch of sufferers with lengthy COVID prior to now two years, with girls making up the bulk.
“We do know that individuals with preexisting cardiac and metabolic situations — which embrace these with diabetes, coronary heart illness and hypertension — are usually extra in danger for growing lengthy COVID,” Sandrock informed Fox Information Digital.
“In the event you get COVID and also you’re already dwelling a more healthy life-style, you will be more likely to come back out on the opposite aspect with fewer long-term penalties.”
As folks with much less wholesome existence usually tend to have these situations, it stands to purpose they’d be extra weak to extended COVID signs.
“In the event you get COVID and also you’re already dwelling a more healthy life-style — in case you’re more healthy, consuming higher, exercising commonly, sleeping higher and you’ve got decreased your stress with issues like meditation or yoga — you will be more likely to come back out on the opposite aspect with fewer long-term penalties,” Dr. Sandrock stated.
Lengthy COVID signs can embrace lingering complications, chest ache, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, sleep problems, despair, nervousness and different points. (iStock)
Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply somebody with a wholesome life-style is proof against lengthy COVID.
Timmerman thought of herself to be in good well being previous to getting the virus, with no pre-existing situations or issues.
“I used to be health-conscious with my vitamin, our household was energetic outside, and I used to be additionally absolutely vaccinated in opposition to COVID on the time I contracted it,” she stated.
Figuring out and treating lengthy COVID
The World Well being Group (WHO) defines lengthy COVID as “the continuation or growth of recent signs three months after the preliminary SARS-CoV-2 an infection, with these signs lasting for a minimum of two months with no different rationalization.”
MOST ‘LONG COVID’ SYMPTOMS AFTER MILD CASE OF VIRUS RESOLVE IN ABOUT A YEAR: NEW STUDY
Steven G. Deeks, M.D., is a professor of medication at College of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a school member within the division of HIV, Infectious Ailments and International Drugs at Zuckerberg San Francisco Basic Hospital.
He and his workforce are following a cohort of 700 COVID sufferers, 200 of whom have lengthy COVID.
“Everybody experiences lengthy COVID in another way — and people experiences can differ from week to week and month to month.” (iStock)
“Everybody experiences lengthy COVID in another way,” he informed Fox Information Digital.
“And people experiences can differ from week to week and month to month. It’s a set of many non-specific signs, which makes it very difficult to deal with.”
At present, Deeks’ principal remedy for lengthy COVID contains rehabilitation and bodily remedy.
“Lengthy COVID is a set of many non-specific signs, which makes it very difficult to deal with.”
In Timmerman’s case, her complications started on the exact same day she examined optimistic for COVID.
Her medical doctors dominated out different potential causes by means of imaging and blood assessments, main them to contemplate the complications as lingering lengthy COVID signs.
At the moment, Timmerman wants day by day ache relievers to operate; she’s had some success with a migraine treatment known as Qulipta.
MIGRAINE VS. HEADACHE: HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE AND WHEN TO SEEK HELP
“I am now working with a neurologist, who’s digging deeper to see if she will uncover any further points or underlying causes of the persisting complications, or if they will simply proceed to be handled as persisting lengthy COVID complications,” she stated.
Complications aren’t the one ailment related to lengthy COVID.
Sandrock of Sacramento has seen sufferers affected by lingering chest ache, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, sleep problems, despair, nervousness and different signs lengthy after the onset of the virus.
Shortness of breath is without doubt one of the signs seen in lengthy COVID sufferers. (iStock )
The excellent news: Dr. Sandrock is seeing a decline in traditional lengthy COVID circumstances over time.
“I believe the virus itself has modified and has develop into extra of a cold-like virus. And extra individuals are vaccinated, so that they’re getting much less extreme illness,” he stated.
Simply as a wholesome life-style will help stave off lengthy COVID, it may well additionally function remedy.
And many individuals with lengthy COVID do get higher, he stated — though it usually looks like an extended, gradual slog.
“I often ask my sufferers: In the event you look again, how did you’re feeling three or six months in the past, and the way do you’re feeling now? They often understand that they’re positively higher. Possibly six months in the past, they could not even get away from bed for 10 minutes, and now they will work for 2 hours a day.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Simply as a wholesome life-style will help stave off lengthy COVID, it may well additionally function remedy, consultants counsel.
In efforts to search out reduction from her debilitating complications and return to some sense of normalcy, Timmerman has centered extra on vitamin and train since getting the virus.
“Caffeine supplies some reduction for my complications, so tea and occasional have develop into day by day rituals in my life,” she stated.
“I’ve additionally seen that train is useful for relieving among the discomfort, so I’ve made an excellent greater effort to incorporate common bodily exercise in my day by day routines. I’ve additionally included therapeutic massage remedy into my life.”