The recent study published in Nature Medicine suggesting that long Covid is more debilitating than cancer has faced criticism for being “irresponsible.” While the research found that long Covid increases the risk of various health problems, including heart issues, blood clots, diabetes, memory problems, fatigue, and mental health issues, critics argue that the study had significant limitations that may have skewed the results.
Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, emphasized that there are other conditions in the US that are deadlier, more debilitating, and pose a higher burden on patients and the healthcare system. He pointed out that obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure affect a significant portion of the population and should be of greater concern. He further criticized the varying and sometimes unreliable information surrounding long Covid, stating that the focus should not solely be on this condition.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 13 American adults has long Covid, equivalent to over 16.5 million people. However, these estimates have faced dispute from experts who argue that the symptoms of long Covid are often nonspecific and can be attributed to other common conditions.
The study in question was conducted by researchers from Washington University in St. Louis who analyzed the medical records of 140,000 veterans who had tested positive for Covid in 2020 and later experienced long Covid symptoms. They compared their health to six million other veterans who did not contract Covid. The findings were measured using a disability-adjusted life year (DALY), which considers the impact of a condition on overall disability. The study found that long Covid caused 80 DALYs per 1,000 veterans, while heart disease and cancer resulted in 52 and 50 DALYs respectively.
The researchers stated that these findings highlight the need for long-term care for long Covid patients. However, Dr. Fischer criticized the comparison of long Covid to cancer, highlighting the vagueness of the term “cancer” and the varying severity of different types of cancer. He also noted that the study only focused on veterans, who already face specific health challenges, and did not include a diverse population in terms of age, sex, or race, limiting the applicability of the results to the broader US population. Furthermore, the study only examined cases from 2020, when the severity of Covid infections was higher and before new strains emerged.
There is ongoing debate about the scale and severity of long Covid, with some studies suggesting that individuals may have experienced similar symptoms even without a Covid infection. The number of long Covid cases is still unclear, but the CDC estimates that 7.5% of US adults, or one in 13, experience long Covid symptoms lasting three or more months. The risk of long Covid diagnosis also increases with subsequent infections.
In conclusion, while the study may have raised awareness about the impact of long Covid, its limitations and potential biases have been criticized. It is important to consider other health conditions that pose significant burdens on individuals and the healthcare system. The focus should be on addressing obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, which affect a substantial portion of the population.
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