Three types of long covid have been detected. Everyone has unique symptoms

The long covid (long covid) is still a mystery. It is not known exactly where it comes from or how long it may last. Neither are all symptoms known, although the list already includes more than 200, nor their future consequences. Recently, scientists discovered that there are actually three types of long covid, each with its own characteristic symptoms. These types have been observed in unvaccinated and vaccinated subjects.

1. The first and most common type involved complications in the nervous system
2. The second included respiratory symptoms that may even suggest lung damage. This type was common among those infected during the first wave of the pandemic
3. The third type concerned ailments from various organs. In this group, scientists observed some of the most severe and debilitating multi-organ symptoms
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Long covid. What worries scientists the most?

Long COVID-19, i.e. long-lasting symptoms of coronavirus infection, is attracting more and more attention from the world of science and medicine. It is known that complications most often appear four weeks after the symptoms of coronavirus infection have disappeared, and it is also known that they can persist for several weeks or even several months.

Researchers are concerned about the “tendency to reappear even months after recovery”. What is also worrying is the magnitude of symptoms associated with long covid (there are over 200 of them now) and their consequences. Scientists have long sounded the alarm: “The long-term effects of the COVID-19 transition are emerging on such a scale that they may exceed the capacity of health systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries.”

The hope to alleviate the long-term effects of the disease and find the best treatment is the recent discoveries of scientists from King’s College London (their results have been published in medRxiv and have not yet been reviewed). Researchers found that pocovid syndrome is not just one disease, ‘but appears to have several subtypes’. Researchers have identified three such forms, each with its own symptoms.

The three types of long covid and their symptoms

A British research team analyzed data from the ZOE COVID application (using it, people with COVID-19 report their ailments). It took into account information from 1459 people who had symptoms for more than 84 days or 12 weeks (as defined by long covid) and reported it between August 2020 and March 2022. On their basis, three types of long covid have been distinguished.

The largest group experienced pocovid symptoms in the nervous system. These people complained of fatigue, brain fog and headaches. It was the most common subtype among the Alfa variant which dominated in winter 2020-2021 and the Delta variant which prevailed in 2021.

The second type was manifested by disorders of the respiratory system. People in this group reported chest pain and severe shortness of breath, which may suggest lung damage. These symptoms were common among those infected during the first wave of the pandemic (when we did not yet have COVID-19 vaccines).

The third group consisted of people who reported a variety of physical symptoms, including heart palpitations, muscle aches, changes to the skin, and hair problems. In this group, scientists observed some of the most severe and debilitating multi-organ symptoms.

Three types of long covid – what’s the result?

Researchers also found that long covid subtypes were similar in vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects. However, the data showed that the risk of complications from COVID-19 was lower in those who were vaccinated.

“Understanding the root causes of these subtypes can help in finding a treatment strategy,” emphasized Dr. Claire Steves, however. Dr Marc Modat, who led the study, emphasized that the strategy they chose “opens up new avenues for research to better understand COVID-19 and support clinical research that may mitigate the long-term effects of the disease”.