Health - "Long flu": Long-term consequences possible even after flu
Similar to corona, a flu infection can also have serious long-term consequences for hospital patients. US researchers point this out in the specialist journal "The Lancet Infectious Diseases". They observed and compared the health development of patients who were admitted to hospital due to coronavirus or influenza over a period of 18 months.
The group led by Ziyad Al-Aly from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (Missouri, USA) found, among other things, that the risk of certain serious health problems was lower in the acute phase (up to 30 days after the start of infection) of both coronavirus and influenza than in the period thereafter. On average, the risk of serious long-term consequences after a coronavirus infection was higher than after influenza.
Al-Aly and colleagues call the long-lasting effects of influenza "long flu", where "flu" is short for influenza. The term "long Covid" has also become established in Germany for the protracted effects of Covid-19.
The study did not focus on the question of how often long Covid or long flu occurs in hospital patients. "An important lesson we have learned from Sars-CoV-2 is that an infection that was originally thought to cause only a short illness can also lead to a chronic disease," Al-Aly is quoted as saying in a university press release.
The researchers wanted to know whether and to what extent people with influenza also have long-term health problems. They examined the cases of 81,280 patients who were admitted to hospital due to Covid-19 between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022. They compared their health development with the cases of 10,985 patients who were hospitalized for influenza between October 1, 2015 and February 28, 2019.
Over the 18 months in question, Covid-19 patients had a 51 percent higher risk of dying compared to flu patients (28.46 cases compared to 19.84 cases per 100 people).
Vaccinations can protect against severe cases
The health risk for coronavirus patients was higher than for flu patients in nine out of ten organ systems examined. Only with regard to the lungs did flu patients have a higher risk of negative health consequences. The number of healthy life years lost (DALY - disability-adjusted life years) was 242.66 years per 100 people in the flu group and 287.43 years in the Covid-19 group.
"The idea that Covid-19 or influenza are only acute diseases overlooks their greater long-term impact on human health," emphasized Al-Aly. Medical professionals need to be more aware that viral infections are a significant cause of chronic diseases.
For both Covid-19 and seasonal influenza, vaccination could help prevent severe disease progression and reduce the risk of hospitalization and death, Al-Aly said. "Optimizing vaccination coverage must remain a priority for governments and health systems around the world." This is especially true for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
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- Similar to COVID-19, a flu infection can lead to serious long-term consequences for hospital patients, as noted by US researchers in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
- Ziyad Al-Aly from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted a study comparing the health development of patients hospitalized due to coronavirus or influenza.
- The risk of certain serious health problems was lower in the acute phase of both coronavirus and influenza, but the risk of long-term consequences was higher for coronavirus patients on average.
- Al-Aly and his team referred to the long-lasting effects of influenza as "long flu," drawing parallels with "long Covid" for the protracted effects of COVID-19.
- The study did not focus on the frequency of long Covid or long flu in hospital patients but highlighted the need for further research in this area.
- The researchers observed a 51% higher risk of death for COVID-19 patients compared to flu patients over an 18-month period.
- Al-Aly emphasized that viral infections, such as COVID-19 and influenza, can have significant long-term impacts on human health, and medical professionals should be more aware of this fact.
- Vaccination can help prevent severe disease progression and reduce the risk of hospitalization and death for both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, according to Al-Aly.
Source: www.stern.de
