According to a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, organ damage persisted in 59% of long-term COVID patients a year after initial symptoms, including those who were not severely affected. The findings of the study also showed that 29% of long-term COVID patients had a multi-organ impairment with persistent symptoms and reduced function at six and twelve months.

The study included an extensive examination of organ failure in long-term COVID patients over 12 months. The study was focused on patients who complained of severe dyspnea, cognitive impairment, and poor health-related quality of life.

The findings of the study showed that out of 536 patients who were examined, 13% were hospitalized when they received their COVID-19 diagnosis, and 32% of study participants were medical professionals.

According to the study, these patients underwent a 40-minute multi-organ MRI scan six months later, which was analyzed in Oxford. Dr. Amitava Banerjee, professor of clinical data science at the UCL Institute of Health Informatics in the UK, stated that the symptoms of organ damage were widespread between six and twelve months. However, the researchers also observed a reduction in symptoms between six and twelve months.

They pointed out that patients who reported having extreme breathlessness decreased from 38% to 30%, while those who experienced cognitive dysfunction decreased from 48% to 38%. Also, poor health-related quality of life decreased from 57% to 45% among the participants.