Long COVID is defined by these 12 symptoms, new study finds
A new study is bringing more understanding to the symptoms Prolonged COVIDa set of post-infectious conditions that can persist for months or years after a person has COVID-19.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in a medical journal. Jama On Thursday, the study identified the 12 most common symptoms linked Prolonged COVID With the goal of helping researchers develop much-needed treatment options.
Study author Dr. Leora Horwitz, director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Science and co-principal investigator of the RECOVER Clinical Science Core at NYU Langone Health, said, “This study defines prolonged COVID beyond a single individual symptom. It’s an important step forward.” I said A press release. “This approach — which can evolve over time — will serve as the basis for scientific discovery and treatment design.”
After examining data from 9,764 adults, including 8,646 who had COVID-19 and 1,118 who did not, the researchers identified 12 symptoms that most distinguish people with prolonged Covid. Symptoms are:
- Post-exercise anxiety (debilitating fatigue that worsens after physical or mental activity)
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Dizziness
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- heart beat
- Problems with sexual desire or ability
- Loss of smell or taste
- Thirst
- Chronic cough
- Chest pain
- Abnormal movements
A range of other symptoms were reported by a smaller number of patients, with the study identifying 37 symptoms that were more frequent in those who had a COVID infection 6 months after, compared to those who did not. There were no infections.
More than 100 million Americans have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the press release, with about 6 percent of them experiencing it and Suffering from prolonged covid symptoms.
“Americans living with COVID for a long time want to understand what’s happening to their bodies,” Dr. Rachel L. Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health, said in the release.
The study found that prolonged covid – also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, or PASC – was more common and severe in study participants who had previously been infected. 2021 Omicron variantwere Unvaccinatedand those who experienced reinfection.
Previous research has shown that even people whose The initial bout with COVID-19 was mild. Long can go to develop COVID.
The study authors call their findings a “first step” in identifying cases of the condition, and say they hope it will “serve as a starting point” for further research.