A new Israeli study published Tuesday indicates that 95 percent of recovered COVID-19 patients do not suffer any irreversible respiratory or heart damage, helping to answer one of the key questions about the disease that has infected more than 100 millions of people around the world.
The study of 166 recovered COVID-19 patients, conducted by Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, found that 94 percent were still reporting symptoms three months later, notably shortness of breath, although most symptoms disappeared within six months.
“We can cautiously report that according to our study, most symptoms disappeared within three to six months,” said Professor Gabriel Izbicki, director of the Shaare Zedek Pulmonary Institute.
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“Almost all of the patients we studied after six months reported a marked improvement in their general condition, and the test results reflected this. We found that regular physical activities three to four times a week directly contributed to helping the patient recover much faster, ”he said.
Illustrative: A member of Shaare Zedek’s medical team receives a coronavirus patient in Jerusalem, on April 16, 2020 (Nati Shohat / Flash90).
The data showed that within three months of recovery, the most prevalent long-lasting symptom was shortness of breath, found in 57% of patients.
Additionally, 55% of patients reported general weakness, 25% reported sustained coughing, and 18% reported chest pains. Another 11% still complained of loss of taste and smell, while 8% had neurological symptoms such as dizziness or weakness in the limbs.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, included patients between the ages of 18 and 86 with mild, moderate and severe conditions.
