Unvaccinated people have a higher risk of developing long-term Covid, study finds

The infection by coronavirus it can result in a variety of clinical conditions, from asymptomatic infection or mild symptoms to hospitalization and death.

THE Covid-19 it can cause impacts to the body that go beyond changes in the respiratory system, with prolonged symptoms that can last for weeks or months. The call Covid long it is associated with neurological and behavioral changes, insomnia, muscle and joint pain.

A new study conducted by researchers in the United States points to a greater risk of developing prolonged symptoms of Covid-19 among people who have not been vaccinated and among those who have had moderate or severe symptoms. The results were published in the scientific journal JAMA this Wednesday (18).

Data from clinical trials and observational studies have shown that vaccination against Covid-19 is highly protective against acute symptoms, hospitalization and death from the disease across a variety of variants.

The relationship between vaccination and post-Covid conditions remains unclear. Some studies suggest that vaccination after infection may reduce the risk of post-Covid conditions.

The recent study, with the participation of 1,832 adults, points out that the risk of reporting symptoms for 28 days or more after onset of COVID-19 was significantly higher in participants who were not vaccinated and among those who reported symptoms of moderate or severe acute illness.

Additionally, six months after baseline, participants were at significantly greater risk of lung or neurological problems, mental health and diabetes than before their infection.

More than half of the evaluated participants were between 18 and 44 years old, male, had not been vaccinated and had no comorbidities. A total of 728 participants (39.7%) had illness that lasted 28 days or longer. Unvaccinated participants reported moderate or severe initial illness, had more days of hospitalization, and were more likely to report 28 or more days of symptoms.

Among unvaccinated participants, post-infection vaccination was associated with a 41% lower risk of reporting symptoms at 6 months.