Patients who lose muscle mass in the acute phase of covid-19, when they are hospitalized, are at high risk of developing long-term covid. According to Brazilian researchers, the more “muscles” a person loses, the greater the chance of facing sequelae from the infection.
Published in scientific journal Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (Jamda) the study that associates long-term covid with muscle loss in the acute phase of the disease was led by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FM-USP).
In the study, the authors note that the most common sequelae of covid-19 in these circumstances are:
Fatigue;
Myalgia (muscle pain);
Muscle impairment;
Headache;
Chest pain;
Dyspnea (feeling short of breath);
Chronic cough;
Anosmia (loss of smell).
In addition, the research results point to the existence of a relationship between greater loss of muscle mass and higher health expenses in the months following hospital discharge. Each volunteer was monitored, on average, for six months.
How does a person lose muscle mass with covid-19?
It is important to highlight that “the loss of muscle mass is reasonably common during prolonged periods of hospitalization”, explains Hamilton Roschel, researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and the leader of the study, in a statement.
“However, this situation seems to be exacerbated in patients hospitalized for covid-19, affecting muscle mass, strength and function to the point of compromising the patient’s mobility in some cases”, details Roschel about the research findings on the presence from covid long.
To reach these conclusions, the USP team analyzed 80 patients who had moderate or severe forms of covid-19, and who were hospitalized at Hospital das Clínicas, in São Paulo, in 2020. Here, it should be noted that none of the volunteers was vaccinated against the disease and the effects of the infection may be different in a scenario where booster doses are already applied.
As part of the study, the team of doctors and scientists measured the patients’ strength and muscle mass at four time points:
When did the hospital admission occur;
When they were discharged;
Two months after hospital discharge;
Six months after hospital discharge.
Long covid effects
According to the study authors, fatigue (76%) and muscle pain (66%) were the two main sequelae of long-term covid in patients who had significant muscle loss during the hospitalization period. Among the patients who had less musculature impairment, the prevalence was, respectively, 46% and 36%. In addition, different sequelae of the disease, such as chronic cough, headache and dyspnea, were unevenly reported.
The authors even point out that, six months after hospital discharge, patients who had lost more muscle mass continued to have difficulty recovering the previous muscles. Meanwhile, those with little loss recovered almost fully in the same period.