Coronavirus symptoms experienced in the first week of infection may be an indicator of how long they will last, suggests a new study.
USA Today reported that a study published on Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature Medicine found that COVID-19 patients who experienced “more than five symptoms in their first week of illness” were more likely to become so-called “long hauler” COVID, ”The name that researchers assign to patients with symptoms for more than 28 days.
The five most predictive symptoms of becoming a long truck, experienced during the first week, were “fatigue, headache, hoarse voice, muscle pain and difficulty breathing,” the study found.
How was the study carried out?
According to USA Today, COVID-19 patients from the United Kingdom, USA and Sweden were asked by researchers at King’s College London, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, “to report their symptoms through an smartphone from March to September 2020 ”.
The study found that of more than 4,000 participants, “about 13% of patients reported symptoms that lasted more than 28 days, 4% for more than 8 weeks and 2% for more than 12 weeks”.
USA Today quoted the study’s co-author, Dr. Christina Astley, a medical scientist at Boston Children’s Hospital, who said that for patients who reported symptoms that lasted more than four weeks, “a third of them will have symptoms in 8 weeks and a third of those in 12 weeks. “She added:” If you think about it, 1 in 20 people who have COVID-19 will have symptoms that last 8 weeks or more. “
What was the impact of increasing age and sex on persistent symptoms?
The study found that the likelihood of having persistent symptoms increased with age, “going from 9.9% of individuals aged 18 to 49 years to 21.9% of those over 70 years old”. The most common persistent symptom in older age groups was anosmia or loss of smell.
The study also found that women were more likely to experience long COVID, “with 14.9% of study participants reporting symptoms 28 days after initial infection, compared with 9.5% of men.”
USA Today noted that while the study tried to identify long COVID markers and risk factors, “doctors are finding that it can happen to anyone at any age,” citing Dr. Michael Wechsler, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health. Dr. Wechsler said: “It can happen in any age group, but it is more alarming for younger people who are healthy and are not used to these symptoms.”
Two main patterns emerged.
Among the participants, the study found two main patterns among the long COVID trucks. First, they found those who reported exclusively “fatigue, headache and upper respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, sore throat, cough and loss of smell”, and a second group of long haulers who had “persistent multisystem complaints. , such as fever or gastrointestinal symptoms, ”said the report.
According to Dr. Weschler, there is “a wide range of symptoms” in long-term patients with COVID-19 at the National Jewish Health clinic.
“Long COVID is common. It affects a large proportion of patients and has a wide distribution of symptoms ”, he added. “It is important to make people aware that all these different side effects and symptoms can occur.”
SEE MORE INFORMATION: