– This is worrying, says researcher Ole Bernt Lenning at Stavanger University Hospital (SUS). At the same time, he points out that 25 per cent more men and women have visited their GP with fatigue since the pandemic started and until now. Among them, twice as many women have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue in 2023. About 160,000 women were diagnosed, compared to 74,000 men. Long queue outside Time Town Hall in Rogaland to get the fourth corona vaccine. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad It shows figures from figures from Helfo. Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of long covid according to international criteria (NICE). Long covid What are the late effects of covid-19? For most people, covid-19 is a mild and transitory illness, but some suffer persistent problems beyond the acute phase. Such long-lasting symptoms have previously been reported after a number of other infections, and it is therefore not surprising that some people experience late effects after covid-19. Common symptoms Among people with covid-19 who were not admitted to hospital, the most commonly reported symptoms 6–12 months after the illness are: Impaired memory Altered sense of taste and/or smell Fatigue/tiredness Impaired ability to think and concentrate (so-called ” brain fog”) Heavy breathing Source: FHI This also corresponds to international figures. In a large English study published in Nature Communications, long covid is just under one and a half times as frequent in women as in men. – Our research also shows that. Two thirds are women, says Lenning. Researcher Ole Bernt Lenning at Stavanger University Hospital. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Together with Roald Omdal, senior physician and professor emeritus at Stavanger University Hospital, he is researching to find the reason why some people are affected by long covid, while others are not. A life put on hold According to a new large international study (external link), long covid affects 10 percent of everyone who has had corona globally to varying degrees. In addition, there are dark figures. For many, long covid has put life on hold indefinitely. One of them is Miriam Østvik Jenssen from Stavanger, who has been ill for over a year. – I live a parallel life. The family goes out to do things, while I’m at home, says Miriam Østvik Jenssen. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news From an active everyday life at a high level in the art of cooking, life has been turned upside down. The 38-year-old has a background in star restaurants and has been on the national team of chefs where she helped secure Norway an Olympic silver medal. As quality manager for the food at Stavanger University Hospital, she is usually responsible for serving patients good, nutritious food. But now she has extreme fatigue, headaches, brain fog, poor memory and lack of concentration. – It must not be confused with normal wear and tear. There is nothing normal about this, says the mother of three. She has a poor appetite, nausea, dizziness, and is very sensitive to sound and light. – All symptoms are aggravated by activity. When Miriam Østvik Jenssen’s hair started to fall out in large quantities, she chose to shave it all off. – It was hard, she thinks. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Men and women have different immunity – It is important to find out more about whether the defense system works differently in men and women. We know quite a bit about this, but for now far too little, and now there is a unique opportunity and a window of time to look into it in more detail. He refers to other diseases where the gender differences are large, such as various cancers, autoimmune diseases and a number of mental disorders. – It is very important to gain more knowledge about these mechanisms behind long covid. If we find out why women are affected more than men, both diagnosis and treatment can be better tailored to the individual, says Lenning. Researcher Ole Bernt Lenning at Stavanger University Hospital. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news He believes long covid will probably cost society a double-digit billion amount. – Whether this increases or decreases, we currently know little about. A fraction of this sum would provide seeds for research into the cause and better treatment, Lenning believes. – Important knowledge for the healthcare system – That women have an increased risk of getting chronic covid is primarily important insight and knowledge for the healthcare system, says Marte Kvittum Tangen, in the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. Marte Kvittum Tangen of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine is not surprised by the gender differences among patients with long covid. Photo: Thomas B Eckhoff / The Norwegian Medical Association Tangen believes it can help the healthcare system to find diagnosis and treatment more easily. – Women have more and more diffuse symptoms than men. Research shows that it is more difficult to diagnose a female patient than a male one, says Tangen. When it comes to research, it is always important to bring in the gender perspective, FHI points out. – We also found an increased risk of late sequelae among women in our latest systematic review of specialist literature, says Jan Himmels from FHI. – The challenge is that without knowing the causal explanation in general, you cannot say anything specific about gender either. There are many theories, but it is too early to come to a conclusion. But the fact that the immune system can have an effect is not unreasonable. says Himmels. Jan Himmels works with late sequelae after covid-19 in FHI Photo: Privat According to FHI, there are many ongoing studies that are still following up patients. – It is quite common in research projects/studies for the findings to be analyzed based on gender, as this can be of great importance, says Himmels. – Left to themselves – Some have been bedridden for weeks, others for months, says Lenning about the participants in their study at SUS. Almost everyone has been partially or completely on sick leave for half a year, others for a whole year. – The patients are left to themselves to rest for an indefinite period of time. As of today, the healthcare system does not know which treatment works, says Lenning. At home on Miriam Østvik Jenssen’s sofa, time stands still. – It never ends. When can I schedule something? Everything is open. Miriam Østvik Jenssen meditates often. – It provides good quality rest. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news
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Twice as many women as men have chronic covid – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
