Seasonal flu can cause persistent health problems similar to long Covid, study warns

Researchers in the US found that patients hospitalised for both diseases could suffer long-term problems, with Covid proving more dangerous in most cases

‘Long Covid is much more of a health problem than Covid, and long flu is much more of a health problem than the flu,’ says lead researcher Ziyad Al-Aly

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Hong Kong and mainland China are in the winter flu season. Photo: AP

Published: 2:00pm, 16 Dec 2023Updated: 3:28pm, 16 Dec 2023

Seasonal flu can cause long-term health problems similar to long Covid, especially in the lungs and airways, a new study has warned.

With sickness spreading fast during Hong Kong and mainland China’s latest flu season, experts have urged people to stay vigilant and take the risk seriously.

In the study, researchers in the United States found that patients hospitalised for either Covid-19 or flu faced a high risk of death, hospital readmission and organ health problems 18 months after infection.

Covid-19 caused a higher long-term risk of death and adverse health outcomes in nearly every organ system.

The findings by the team from the Washington University school of medicine in St Louis and the Veterans Affairs St Louis Health Care System were published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Thursday.

“This observation emphasises the need for provision of post-acute care following hospital admission for either Covid-19 or seasonal influenza, and that this need is likely to be greater for Covid-19,” the team wrote in the paper.