Key Points:
- Researchers have discovered a list of long COVID symptoms that are difficult to categorize.
- Belonging to certain demographic groups, including engaging in specific behaviors, were found to be a risk factor.
- Scientists hope to better understand how long COVID develops by analyzing these risk factors.
COVID-19’s long-term effects, such as extreme tiredness and problems with memory and concentration, are already well known. But, researchers at the University of Birmingham examined the medical records of 2.4 million patients in the UK and discovered that the number of long COVID symptoms is broader than initially thought.
The findings suggest that members of certain demographic groups, and persons who engage in risky lifestyle choices, are at an increased likelihood of developing post-infection symptoms.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, consisted of two groups: 486,149 patients with a history of COVID-19 infection and 1.9 million who had not contracted the virus. Researchers discovered that sufferers of long COVID complained of 62 symptoms more persistently than patients who had never been infected.
The research team focused on post-infection symptoms and classified them into three categories. Two of the categories—respiratory problems, and issues with mental health and cognitive impairment—were neatly outlined. The third category, on the other hand, defied definition as it is constituted of seemingly unrelated symptoms. It includes long-term effects such as erectile dysfunction, hair loss, limb swelling, and even hallucinations.
Shamil Haroon, Associate Clinical Professor in Public Health at the university, says that the study’s conclusions correlate with the wide-ranging symptoms reported by patients since the beginning of the pandemic.
“The symptoms we identified,” he said, “should help clinicians and clinical guideline developers to improve the assessment of patients with long-term effects from COVID-19, and to subsequently consider how this symptom burden can be best managed.”
Additionally, researchers learned that women, younger individuals, ethnic minorities, and economically marginalized populations are more likely to be affected by long COVID symptoms. Smokers and overweight people are also at a greater risk. Researchers hope that studying this link will allow them to better understand how long COVID develops.