A new study brings more understanding about the symptoms Long covidA set of post-infectious conditions that can last months or years after a person has contracted COVID-19.
Published in a medical journal funded by the National Institutes of Health Jama On Thursday, the study identified 12 common symptoms associated with Long covid With the goal of helping researchers develop much-needed treatment options.
“This study is an important step toward defining long-term Covid disease beyond any individual symptom,” said study author Dr. Leora Horwitz, director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Science and co-principal investigator of the NYU Langone Health Recover Clinical Science Core. , said A press release. “This approach — which can evolve over time — can serve as a foundation for scientific discovery and treatment design.”
After analyzing data from 9,764 adults, including 8,646 people with COVID-19 and 1,118 without, the researchers identified 12 symptoms that distinguished those with prolonged Covid-19 illness. Symptoms include:
- Post-exercise malaise (debilitating fatigue that worsens after physical or mental activity)
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Dizziness
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Heart palpitations
- 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 small number of patients, and the study noted that 37 symptoms were more frequent in those with Covid-19 infection after 6 months than in those without infection.
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% continuing to experience and Suffering from prolonged covid symptoms.
“Americans living with chronic Covid-19 want to understand what’s going on in their bodies,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel L. Levin said in the release.
Prolonged covid — also known as the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, or PASC — was more common and more severe among study participants who were previously infected, the study found. 2021 Omicron variantwere Unvaccinatedand those who experienced re-infection.
Previous studies have also shown that whose The initial bout with Covid-19 was mild Can develop longer covid.
The study authors call their findings a “first step” in identifying cases of the condition, and they hope it can serve as “a starting point” for further research.
