Women face higher Long Covid risk than men; this age group is worst affected, says study

Women are at a significantly greater risk of developing long

Covid

– a chronic condition that stretches from months to even years post infection – compared to men, as per a new study. As newer aspects of the 5-year-old SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge, it has been discovered that women have 31% higher associated risk of developing long Covid and the worst affected age group is those aged between 40-55 years, as a per a study led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The risk among women for developing long Covid was dependent on age, pregnancy and menopausal status.
The study titled, “Sex Differences in Long Covid,” published in JAMA Network Open was carried out on 12,276 participants over time to identify the risk of developing long Covid. It was found that females with a “risk ratio” of 1.31 compared with males, equated to 31% higher associated risk – even after taking into account factors like race, ethnicity, Covid variant, severity of Covid infection and other non-medical social factors that affect health.

What is Long Covid?

Covid-19, the virus that entered our lives towards the end of 2019 and prompted lockdowns 2020 onwards continues to impact many lives with its debilitating

Long Covid symptoms

that often linger for several months and even to a year.
Anyone who had Covid-19, can experience Long Covid, including children, irrespective of whether it was a mild or severe infection. It is present for at least 3 months, but can stretch for way longer. Sleep problems, shortness of breath, headache, cough, fast or irregular heartbeat all come under the purview of long Covid.
A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, says neurocognitive long-Covid symptoms can persist up to a year after Covid-19 symptom onset and reduce life quality significantly.
According to a study published in Infectious Diseases Now journal, prevalence of Long Covid symptoms was 53.7%, 55.2%, and 54.3% in Covid survivors at months 6, 9, and 12 respectively. The main symptoms were concentration problems, asthenia and sleep disorders. It was concluded that more than half of Covid positive patients reported persistent symptoms up to 12 months post the infection.

While earlier many studies showed how men can have more severe Covid-19 cases and higher mortality than female, the new studies suggest that women may be at a greater risk for new and persisting symptoms post infection.
However, previous studies didn’t consider factors like age, menstrual status, comorbidities, vaccination status, variants of concern, severity of acute illness and differential engagement in health care.
The study aimed to assess sex differences in the risk of developing long Covid among adults with SARS-CoV-2 infections. It represents the largest cohort to date, using data from the NIH Recover-Adult cohort, which followed individuals across 83 sites in 33 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.
The scientists found that females had 31% higher risk with a mean age of infection at 46 years. Participants aged between 40-54 have an even higher risk of developing the condition. Menopausal participants had 42% risk, while non-menopausal female participants had 45% higher risk, compared to male participants.
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