Long COVID Risk May Be Especially High for Cancer Patients
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many cancer patients who are infected with COVID-19 are left with lingering symptoms.
A new study, published Feb. 7 in eLife, found that more than half of cancer patients develop long COVID, and women were especially at risk.
“Although cancer patients fall into a higher COVID-19 risk group there is limited data on PASC in cancer patients and how it affects their progression, care and treatment,” said lead author Dr. Anne-Marie Chaftari, an associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“In order to provide a better understanding of post-COVID-19 management among cancer patients, we sought to characterize the patterns of long COVID-19 specifically in these patients," Chaftari said in a journal news release.
Researchers noted their findings are comparable to reported cases of long COVID in the general population. Reports of long COVID prevalence vary from 10% to 87%.
For the study, the researchers followed patients at the cancer center who were diagnosed with COVID between March and September of 2020. They were followed for up to 14 months.
Patients were asked to record symptoms including fatigue, cough, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, headache, fever, altered sense of smell or taste, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep disturbance and any limitations with daily activities.
Symptoms that continued beyond 30 days after severe initial symptoms or hospitalization were considered long COVID.
Data from 312 cancer patients showed 60% developed long COVID.
Those who had relapsed or had treatment-resistant cancer at the start and those who had more severe acute COVID infections were less likely to develop long COVID.
Female patients had a higher rate of long COVID than men, 63% compared to 51%.
Other risk factors, such as depleted white blood cells, needing oxygen, being hospitalized for COVID or multi-organ failure, were similar among those with long COVID and patients who did not have it.
Patients with long COVID most often experienced fatigue, sleep disturbances, muscle pain and GI symptoms.
Those with high blood pressure were less likely to develop long COVID, researchers noted.
This surprised researchers, because high blood pressure is a known risk factor for more severe acute COVID. A similar finding was seen in another study of long-COVID in immunocompromised patients, they noted.
The authors said the link between high blood pressure and severe COVID risk is thought to be due to the binding of the SARS-CoV-2's spike protein to an enzyme that is the target of many medications that lower high blood pressure. They said these findings might rule out this mechanism being important for the development of long COVID.
Among cancer patients who developed long COVID, 59 were readmitted to the hospital, though only 16 were admitted related to COVID. Most had symptoms that could be managed by outpatient care.
“Our study found that long COVID-19 occurred in the majority of our cancer patients and was more prevalent in women than men,” said senior author Dr. Issam Raad, a professor of infectious diseases at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“Even in this high-risk patient population, long COVID-19 was not associated with a high rate of hospital admissions," Raad said in the release. "We also found no underlying condition or severity of illness during acute COVID-19 that would predict long COVID-19.”
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more on long COVID.
SOURCE: eLife, news release, Feb. 7, 2023
Ugonjwa wa saratani ya muda mrefu unaweza kuwa hatari sana kwa wagonjwa wa saratani Jumatano, Februari 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) - Wagonjwa wengi wa saratani ambao wameambukizwa COVID-19 huachwa na dalili za muda mrefu. Utafiti mpya uliochapishwa Februari 7 katika eLife, uligundua kuwa zaidi ya nusu ya wagonjwa wa kansa wanapata COVID-19 ya muda mrefu, na wanawake walikuwa hatarini sana. "Hata ingawa wagonjwa wa kansa wanaanguka katika kundi la hatari ya COVID-19 ya juu, kuna data ndogo juu ya PASC kwa wagonjwa wa kansa na jinsi inavyoathiri maendeleo yao, utunzaji na matibabu,"" alisema mwandishi mkuu Anne-Marie Chafferty, profesa msaidizi wa magonjwa ya kuambukiza katika Chuo Kikuu cha Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center huko Houston." "Ili kutoa uelewa bora wa usimamizi wa baada ya COVID-19 miongoni mwa wagonjwa wa kansa, tulitafuta kuelezea mifumo ya COVID-19 ndefu haswa kwa wagonjwa hawa, ""Chaftari alisema katika taarifa ya habari ya jarida." Watafiti waligundua matokeo yao yanalingana na kesi zilizoripotiwa za COVID ndefu katika idadi ya watu kwa ujumla. Ripoti za kuenea kwa COVID-19 kwa muda mrefu hutofautiana kutoka 10% hadi 87%. Kwa ajili ya utafiti huo, watafiti walifuatilia wagonjwa katika kituo cha saratani ambao walipatikana na COVID-19 kati ya Machi na Septemba 2020. Walifuatwa kwa miezi 14. Wagonjwa waliulizwa kurekodi dalili za ugonjwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na uchovu, kikohozi, upungufu wa kifua, shida ya kupumua, maumivu ya kichwa, homa, mabadiliko ya hisia ya harufu au ladha, maumivu ya misuli, dalili za gastrointestinal, matatizo ya usingizi na mapungufu yoyote ya shughuli za kila siku. Dalili zilizodumu zaidi ya siku 30 baada ya dalili kali za mwanzo au kulazwa hospitalini zilionwa kuwa COVID ndefu. Takwimu kutoka kwa wagonjwa wa kansa 312 zilionyesha 60% walipata COVID ya muda mrefu. Wale ambao walikuwa na maradhi ya saratani ya kurudia au ya kuzuia matibabu mwanzoni na wale ambao walikuwa na maambukizi makali ya COVID walikuwa na uwezekano mdogo wa kuendeleza COVID ndefu. Wanawake wana kiwango cha juu cha COVID ya muda mrefu kuliko wanaume, 63% ikilinganishwa na 51%. Vitu vingine vya hatari, kama vile seli nyeupe za damu zilizopungua, kuhitaji oksijeni, kulazwa hospitalini kwa COVID au kushindwa kwa viungo vingi, vilikuwa sawa kati ya wale walio na COVID ndefu na wagonjwa ambao hawakuwa nayo. Wagonjwa walio na COVID ya muda mrefu mara nyingi walipata uchovu, matatizo ya usingizi, maumivu ya misuli na dalili za GI. Watu wenye shinikizo la damu la juu walikuwa na uwezekano mdogo wa kuambukizwa COVID-19, watafiti waligundua. Hii iliwashangaza watafiti, kwa sababu shinikizo la damu la juu ni sababu inayojulikana ya hatari ya COVID kali zaidi. Ugunduzi kama huo ulionekana katika utafiti mwingine wa COVID ya muda mrefu kwa wagonjwa wenye kinga dhaifu, walibainisha. Uunganisho kati ya shinikizo la damu la juu na hatari kubwa ya COVID-19 unafikiriwa kuwa ni kwa sababu ya kuunganisha protini ya spike ya SARS-CoV-2 na enzyme ambayo ni lengo la dawa nyingi zinazopunguza shinikizo la damu. "Wanasema matokeo haya yanaweza kuondoa utaratibu huu kuwa muhimu kwa maendeleo ya COVID ya muda mrefu. """ Kati ya wagonjwa wa saratani ambao walipata COVID ya muda mrefu, 59 walirudishwa hospitalini, ingawa 16 tu walirudishwa kuhusiana na COVID. Wengi wao walikuwa na dalili ambazo zingeweza kushughulikiwa kwa utunzaji wa wagonjwa wa nje. "Utafiti wetu uligundua kwamba COVID-19 ya muda mrefu ilitokea kwa idadi kubwa ya wagonjwa wetu wa kansa na ilikuwa ya kawaida zaidi kwa wanawake kuliko wanaume, ""alisema mwandishi mwandamizi Dk Issam Raad, profesa wa magonjwa ya kuambukiza katika Kituo cha Saratani cha MD Anderson." "Hata katika idadi hii ya wagonjwa wenye hatari kubwa, COVID-19 ndefu haikuunganishwa na kiwango cha juu cha uandikishaji wa hospitali", Raad alisema katika taarifa hiyo. "Hatujapata hali ya msingi au ukali wa ugonjwa wakati wa COVID-19 kali ambayo ingetabiri COVID-19 ndefu. "" - Taasisi ya Kitaifa ya Afya ya Marekani (NIH) " "Kutoka kwa ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"" na ""E-Life"""