The researchers from China-Japan Friendship Hospital looked at the records of 1,192 people who had been hospitalized at Jin Yin-tan Hospital in Wuhan, China, and were discharged between January 7 and May 29, 2020.

The researchers checked in six months, 12 months and two years after the patients were discharged and asked for their subjective assessment of symptoms. The participants were also assessed using more objective medical tests including pulmonary function tests, CT scans and six-minute walk tests.

In general, the participants had poorer health two years later. Those who had lingering Covid-19 symptoms listed pain, fatigue, problems sleeping and trouble with their mental health. Patients who had higher-level respiratory support while hospitalized had more lung problems than others in the long term.

The participants with lingering symptoms also went to the doctor more often than they did pre-pandemic.