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According to a study, people suffering from depression, stress or even loneliness are more at risk of developing a long Covid.
If you feel in a state of “psychological distress” at the time of contracting Covid-19, this could increase the risks of developing a long Covid. It is the result of a study published in JAMA Psychiatry and relayed by Slate.
Stress, depression and anxiety are all factors that would have an effect on the development of long Covid. As a reminder, it is a question of feeling symptoms, such as fatigue, difficulty breathing, pain or even skin problems, two months after contracting the disease.
To carry out their research, the specialists interviewed more than 54,000 volunteers about their mental health in April 2020. Among this panel, composed mainly of nurses, more than 3,000 contracted Covid-19. The latter answered a series of questions, relating to their symptoms for 19 months.
Results ? Participants showing signs of anxiety, depression, stress and loneliness had between 30% and 50% risk of developing long Covid. “These findings also reinforce the need to increase public awareness of the importance of mental health and to obtain mental health care for those who need it, including increasing the number of mental health clinicians and by improving access to care” commented Dr Andrea Roberts in a press release.
According a study conducted by Santé Publique France, 4% of infected people develop a long Covid. Currently, France is observing an upsurge in the pandemic, with average 50,000 new cases per day.