Norwegian study reveals long Covid also among non-infected individuals: “The diagnosis is not appropriate”
A Norwegian study among youth revealed that both Covid-19 infected and non-infected individuals could experience long Covid. Researchers conclude that the diagnosis is not appropriate.
The study
is based on a group of around 500 youths between the ages of 12 and 25, as
reported by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten
(link in Norwegian).
After thorough investigations, the researchers found that half of those who had been infected had long Covid. Surprisingly, they found the same result among youths who had not been infected with Covid-19.
“Our study actually shows that with the current definition of long Covid, one can experience symptoms without having been infected with the coronavirus,” Professor Vegard Bruun Bratholm Wyller, who has led the study, says.
He says the study shows that the current definition of long Covid is not appropriate.
The researchers' main conclusion is that Covid-19 infection plays a role in some symptoms, such as loss of taste, smell, and fatigue. However, for most symptoms, other factors are more important.
Professor Bruun emphasises the importance of accepting that a symptom is a symptom, regardless of the cause.
“We cannot ask patients to pull themselves together or think differently. But if we want to do something about these symptoms, we need to know more about the cause. Now we are one step closer,” Bruun says.
———
Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik.
Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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