Have you heard of the symptoms of coronavirus: fever, dry cough, fatigue, body aches and more. But do you know the symptoms of Post-COVID Syndrome, which you may also have? Long Haulers – those who suffer long after the virus leaves them – have a variety of problems that can ruin their lives. O COVID Symptom Study app, which asks users to insert symptoms into their database, has mapped the most common of them. “COVID-19 is a mild disease for many, but for more than one in 50 people the symptoms can persist for more than 12 weeks,” said Professor Tim Spector, leader of the COVID symptom study and professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London. Read on to see if you have any symptoms – and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Clear signs that you’ve had the coronavirus.
“The team found that COVID’s long symptoms were divided into two large groups,” report the app’s researchers. “One was overwhelmed by respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath.” This group also had two other common symptoms, detailed on the next slide.
Seen alongside respiratory symptoms, fatigue and headaches were common. Fatigue, in fact, is the most common symptom of post-COVID syndrome in any group. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the syndrome “strongly” resembles Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis. Fatigue is obviously the main symptom of CFS / ME, along with joint pain, confusion and sleep disorders.
“The second group was ‘multisystem’, affecting many parts of the body, including the brain, intestine and heart,” report the app’s researchers. In fact, Long Haulers suffer from neurological problems such as confusion, delirium and hallucinations; vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite; and blood clots.
“Patients with COVID for a long time also reported cardiac symptoms, such as palpitations or rapid heartbeat, as well as pins and needles or numbness,” say the app’s researchers. In New COVID-19 recovery clinic (CORE) at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, co-director Aluko Hope, MD, MSCE, said “he saw at least one patient without a history of heart disease who developed post-viral heart failure,” according to JAMA Network.
The app’s researchers report “concentration problems (‘brain fog’).” And say, “People who experienced a wide range of symptoms in many systems of the body were more likely to need a hospital evaluation.”
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“It is important that, in addition to worrying about excess deaths, we also need to take into account those who will be affected by the long COVID if we are unable to control the pandemic soon,” said Professor Spector. Contact a medical professional if you experience any of these symptoms. Although there is no “cure” for the problem, doctors can (try) to help treat each individual symptom. And follow Fauci’s fundamentals and help stop this wave, no matter where you live – use a face mask, social distance, avoid large crowds, get vaccinated – and to protect your life and the lives of others, do not visit any of these 35 places you’re most likely to reach COVID.