People with at least five symptoms in the first week of infection are more likely to develop the so-called long tail COVID-19 regardless of age and gender, a study by scientists from the University of Birmingham showed.
Long covid – symptoms
An article on this topic appeared in the latest «Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine» (https://doi.org/10.1177%2F01410768211032850).
Its authors – led by Dr. Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi, a special research group called Therapies for Long COVID – conducted an extensive review of current research on the incidence of symptoms, complications and treatment of chronic COVID-19 (evaluated 27 out of 94 eligible scientific articles).
The data collected by them revealed the ten most common symptoms that herald the so-called long COVID. These are:
- chronic fatigue,
- dyspnoea,
- muscle pain,
- cough,
- Headache,
- arthralgia,
- pain in the chest,
- impaired sense of smell,
- diarrhea,
- impaired sense of taste.
Cognitive impairment, memory loss, anxiety and sleep disturbance are other common symptoms.
Researchers divided these symptoms into two main groups: the first, consisting only of fatigue, headaches and upper respiratory problems, and the second, consisting of multi-system complaints, including persistent fever and gastroenterological symptoms.
They then calculated that the presence of more than five of the above-mentioned symptoms in the first week of active infection was significantly associated with the development of chronic COVID regardless of age and gender.
– There is evidence that the impact of active COVID-19 infection on patients, regardless of its severity, goes beyond the stage of visible symptoms, including hospitalization in the most severe cases. The effects of the disease lead to a long-term deterioration of the quality of life, mental health and employment problems, says Prof. Aiyegbusi. – People living with a COVID long tail feel generally lonely; receive limited or conflicting advice. More than a third of the patients in the studies included in our review said they still felt sick or weak after eight weeks.
Dr. Shamil Haroon, another co-author of the study, adds: “ Neither the biological nor the immune mechanisms of long COVID, nor any rationale for why some people are more susceptible to this phenomenon, is not yet clear what greatly limits the development of treatments. And it is very important to react quickly to these problems.
The authors compare the situation to other coronaviruses. In the case of SARS or MERS, the disease trajectory is similar: 25 percent. Six months after discharge from hospital, people have reduced lung function and exercise capacity.
The wide range of potential symptoms and complications that patients with chronic COVID may experience indicates the need for a deeper understanding of the clinical course of the disease. There is an urgent need to develop better, more integrated models of care to support and treat COVID long tail patients and improve their clinical outcomes, the authors conclude.
Have you been infected with COVID-19 and are worried about the side effects? Check your health by performing a comprehensive test package for convalescents.
Katarzyna Czechowicz / kap / ekr / PAP
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