A “significant” proportion of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital will still suffer adverse symptoms three months after being sent home, a new study has suggested.

Breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety, depression and limited ability to do exercise are felt by many two to three months after they were infected with the new coronavirus, the research shows.

And MRI scans have revealed that many are left with abnormalities in the lungs, heart, liver and kidneys.

Scans also revealed changes in the brain which were coupled with “impaired cognitive performance”, scientists said.

Those who had poor exercise performance and abnormalities detected in their MRI scans were also more likely to show markers for inflammation in their blood, which the researchers said could mean there is a potential link between chronic inflammation and ongoing organ damage among survivors.

Researchers from the University of Oxford set out to examine the medium-term effects of Covid-19 on 58 people admitted to hospital, compared with 30 people who have not been affected by the virus.

The participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brain, lungs, heart, liver and kidneys; spirometry to test their lung function; a six-minute walk test; cardiopulmonary exercise test, as well as assessments of their quality of life, cognitive and mental health.

Two to three months after they first showed symptoms, 64 per cent still suffered persistent breathlessness and 55 per cent had significant fatigue.

MRI scans showed abnormalities in the lungs of 60 per cent of those who had been admitted to hospital with Covid-19.

A quarter (26 per cent) had damage to heart tissue, and 10 per cent showed signs of liver damage, while 29 per cent had kidney abnormalities.

Researchers also detected tissue changes in the brain and the participants also “demonstrated impaired cognitive performance,