Survey: 30% of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients suffer aftereffects

Jiji Press

November 27, 2021

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Nearly 30% of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients suffered from aftereffects, a survey by Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward found.

About 4% of people who had aftereffects suffered from them even as long as a year after infection, according to the survey.

The findings mean that some COVID-19 patients, though asymptomatic while infected, have aftereffects. The survey is based on an April questionnaire of about 3,700 residents.

The survey showed that 48.1% of COVID-19 patients suffered from aftereffects, or 54.3% of women and 41.9% of men.

The share of those who had aftereffects stood at 27.5% for people who were asymptomatic while infected, 61.3% for those with minor symptoms, 61.2% for those with moderate symptoms and 73.7% for severe symptoms.

Over half of former patients with underlying conditions suffered from general malaise, while over half of those without underlying conditions suffered from smell and taste disorder.

The survey also revealed that 67.7% of men suffered from aftereffects a month after testing positive for the coronavirus. The share of men suffering from aftereffects stood at 22.2% after half a year and 3.6% after a year.

For women, 64.4% had aftereffects after a month, 19.3% after half a year and 3.5% after a year.

Smell disorder was the most common symptom experienced for over three months that affected everyday life, with nearly 40% of 346 respondents, followed by general malaise at 28.0%, taste disorder at 21.7%, difficulty concentrating at 20.5% and sleep disorder at 18.5%.

Smell disorder was common among people in their 20s to 40s, while general malaise was common among people in their 50s and women in their 70s and 80s.