Covid-19: Know the 23 prolonged symptoms of the disease

Tiredness, persistent cough, difficulty breathing, loss of smell or taste, and headache. These symptoms may not seem strange to someone who has had it before. Covid-19. Now, a new study has shown that half of patients with the disease live for months with the prolonged form of the infection.

In total, the researchers identified 23 symptoms of the disease. long covid. The study helps to know a little more about this health issue still little known to scientists.

Researchers from the René Rachou Institute (Fiocruz Minas) followed more than 600 patients for 14 months and were able to assess the disease in the long term. Volunteers were split between men and women, aged 18 to 91.

Hospital da Baleia and Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Célio de Castro is in Belo Horizonte, both from April 2020 to March 2021. Monitoring was carried out through monthly face-to-face or virtual meetings.

Among them, a minority declared to have pre-existing comorbidities, the most common of which were hypertension, diabetes, and liver diseases. Half of the cases studied were mild infections, the rest suffered from moderate or severe symptoms.

The researchers reported that nearly all of those infected did not receive the full schedule of vaccinations against the disease. Only five participants aged 44 to 65 received all appropriate doses of the vaccines and became infected.

Symptoms of post-coronavirus infection

They observed that half of the participants experienced post-infection symptoms. The most affected age groups were adults aged 41 to 60, followed by those aged 20 to 40. Overall, women reported more persistent health problems.

In this study, scientists were able to identify the 23 most common symptoms of long-term covid. Fatigue or prolonged fatigue was the most common, affecting 35% of patients. In some cases, it recurred more than a year after infection.

Subsequently, 34% and 26% of patients, respectively, report persistent cough and dyspnoea or difficulty breathing. Loss of smell and taste, the most obvious symptoms Covid-19For some participants it took months.

The 23 symptoms identified in the questionnaires, in order from most common to least common:

• burnout;
• persistent cough;
• shortness of breath;
• loss of smell or taste;
• Headache;
• myalgia;
• body pain;
• red eyes;
• insomnia disease;
• change in blood pressure;
• Anxiety;
• Diarrhea;
• Joint pain;
• Thrombosis;
• chest pain;
• Vertigo, dizziness;
• low mobility;
• Red spots on the skin;
• mucus in the throat or nose;
• Coryza;
• tachycardia;
• loss of appetite;
• Throat ache;

Also noteworthy are the recurrence of mental problems such as insomnia, anxiety, vertigo or dizziness, symptoms lasting up to 11 months after cases of acute infection. coronavirus.

The study also shows that symptoms can persist regardless of the severity of the infection, whether mild, moderate or severe. This demonstrates the need to protect against the disease, because even asymptomatic patients suffer from the condition.

“We have cases that continue to be monitored because symptoms persist for more than 14 months,” researcher Rafaella Fortini, coordinator of the study, says in a note.

Seven comorbidities leading to more serious infections also supported the persistence of the sequelae. These are chronic arterial hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, smoking and alcoholism.

Fortini shared that the results of the study covid a long-term, complex disease that still lacks adequate treatment. According to him, there are still unanswered questions.

“There’s still a lot to know: Why does it happen? How does it affect the body? Answers to these questions will allow us to understand the effects of the disease and provide the conditions for properly resolving these sequelae,” he says.

He also warns that because less serious sequelae tend to be overlooked, the population should contact local health services to treat the problem. “It is very important to seek medical attention for other problems, as it can also affect quality of life,” he concludes.

ARTICLE Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Transactions: doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trac030