Post-coronavirus physically affects women more than men, says latest study

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Post-coronavirus has more physical effects on women than men, particularly creating respiratory and cardiovascular complications in the following weeks, according to a recent study conducted by a Bangladeshi research organization.

The study, titled "Features and risk factors of post-COVID-19 syndrome: Findings from a longitudinal study in Bangladesh," is the first of its kind in Asia, and found that COVID-19 long-term effects differ between men and women.

“Developing post-COVID complications was found to be 1.5 to 4 times higher in females than in males,” according to study findings presented at a seminar in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday.

The effects are referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) or long COVID, according to a study published in the Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia.

The study found that COVID-19 survivors over the age of 60 are twice as likely as those under the age of 40 to develop cardiovascular and neurological complications.

According to an icddr,b statement, the seminar also presented a guideline titled "Long COVID Clinical Management Guideline for Physicians."

Long-term complications were 2-3 times more likely in hospitalized patients and those requiring intensive care, it said.

Researchers gathered information from clinically recovered individuals over the age of 18 with confirmed COVID-19. The information was gathered from two COVID-19-designated hospitals in Dhaka between December 2020 and October 2021.

“The 362 enrolled participants were given comprehensive in-person follow-ups at one, three, and five-month post-recovery intervals to evaluate the presence or trajectories of PCS symptoms which include neurological, cardiac, respiratory outcomes, and mental health,” it said.

Participants in the study will be followed up on for 24 months, according to the statement.

The new occurrence of diabetes among hospitalized patients was 10 cases per 1,000 people, compared to none in the non-hospitalized group. The number of new cases of renal impairment and increased liver enzymes were significantly higher among COVID-19 survivors, said the statement.

Most complications decreased over time; however, shortness of breath, fast pulse rate, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression did not decrease significantly in the non-hospitalized group, even five months after recovery, it added.

Executive Director icddr,b Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed said at the seminar that “it has become evident from the findings that many of those affected by the disease are still at increased risk of certain health complications.”

USAID’s Health Expert Dr. Samina Choudhury said in his presentation that “more than two million people have suffered from COVID-19 in Bangladesh, but the patterns and burden of the prolonged health complications were unknown.”

This study provides significant insights in this regard, she added.