Long covid and effects on working capacity, more absences and leaves: what the studies say

The Long Covid can compromise your ability to work. Many studies have highlighted an increase in leave, sickness absence, which is very important after the pandemic, and also in unemployment. The functioning of the autonomic nervous system “can also be affected by Sars-CoV-2” and this condition can result in “an autonomic syndrome, which can still be found 6 months after recovery from the acute infection”. This type of syndrome has been found in “one in 3 workers” affected by Covid. This was established by a prospective Italian observational study, published on ‘PubMed’ by a team from the Irccs Salvatore Maugeri-University of Pavia. The study indicates the need for “early interventions” for this type of syndrome, especially “to prevent resignation or dismissal of affected workers”.

According to the researchers, Sars-CoV-2 infection affects the functioning of the autonomic nervous system leading to a chronic autonomic syndrome which is not recognized as a disease today. “In this work – they explain – we evaluated the onset of Long Covid autonomic syndrome in a group of active workers, as well as the relationships between their autonomic dysfunction and working capacity”.

The research was conducted in Italy during the second wave of the pandemic. 45 subjects were selected – not vaccinated against Covid – hospitalized for a severe form of Covid disease, average age just over 53 years, with a diagnosis of Covid, and they were followed for 6 months also analyzing their return to work which was then evaluated with specific questionnaires. Clinical tests were also performed.