The risks of long Covid have been “greatly exaggerated”, according to a study

• According to experts, this condition has more than 200 symptoms
• The lack of definition could generate more anxiety among the public, they added.
• READ MORE: Harvard and Yale scientists investigate new condition ‘Long vaccine’

The risks of long Covid have been “greatly exaggerated” with more than 200 symptoms linked to the condition, experts say.

Major research flaws have distorted the true extent of the disease, leading to misdiagnoses and increased public anxiety.

They blamed overly broad definitions and criticized the lack of appropriate comparison groups in studies looking at the incidence, prevalence and control of the condition.

This has resulted in widespread misdiagnosis of different conditions developed after Covid, undermining patient treatment, the researchers said.

Scientists from the UK, US and Denmark analyzed the definition of long Covid from several global health organisations, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

They found that any new symptoms that emerged after a confirmed or suspected Covid infection could be considered consistent with long Covid, resulting in more than 200 symptoms associated with it.

Most people who contract COVID-19 feel better within a few days or weeks, but for some people, symptoms may last more than 12 weeks.

Those who have long Covid, also known as post-acute sequelae of Covid-19 (PASC), report fatigue, brain fog, chest pain and shortness of breath.

The team argued that the symptoms are common among many upper respiratory viruses.

They also noted that studies in the early stages of the pandemic likely included fewer patients with mild or no symptoms, which could have led to sampling bias.

This occurs when certain groups are more likely to be included in a study than others, limiting the findings.

Writing in BMJ’s Evidence Based Medicine, they said: “Our analysis indicates that, in addition to including appropriately matched controls, there is a need for better case definitions and stricter criteria (long Covid), which should include ongoing symptoms after confirmed SARS. “. CoV-2 infection and take into account baseline characteristics, including physical and mental health, that may contribute to an individual’s post-Covid experience.

In the future, research should include appropriately matched control groups, according to the paper, as well as sufficient follow-up time after infection.

They called for internationally established diagnostic criteria and called for studies to avoid the blanket term and instead narrowly define certain post-Covid symptoms.

“Ultimately, biomedicine should seek to help all people who suffer,” the team added. ‘To achieve this, the best scientific methods and analyzes must be applied.

‘Inappropriate definitions and flawed methods do not serve those whom medicine seeks to help.

“Improving evidence generation standards is the ideal approach to taking long Covid seriously, improving outcomes and avoiding the risks of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.”

The team warned that the lack of definition could lead to increased healthcare spending and more anxiety among the public, as well as misdiagnoses and a diversion of funds from patients who have other long-term conditions.