Study identifies 12 key symptoms of prolonged Covid – see full list

A team of US researchers has identified 12 key symptoms of a prolonged COVID condition – those that persist for more than 30 days after a COVID-19 infection. With more than 650 million people infected with SARS-CoV-2 globally, prolonged COVID represents a significant public health concern that affects quality of life, earnings, and healthcare costs. To better understand the prevalence and severity of symptoms, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched Researching Covid (RECOVER-Adult) to enhance recovery. Published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study examined 37 symptoms across multiple body regions and organs.

Researchers have identified 12 symptoms that are most distinct with and without prolonged COVID: malaise after exercise (worsening of symptoms even after minor physical or mental exertion), fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms Heart palpitations, problems with sexual desire or ability, loss of smell or taste, thirst, chronic cough, chest pain, and abnormal movements.

The findings include a new scoring system for Long Covid to help clinicians and researchers better define it and guide treatment of patients. “Now that we are able to identify people with longer Covid, we can begin to do more in-depth studies to understand the biological mechanisms at play,” said corresponding author Andrea Foulkes, RECOVER principal investigator and Harvard Medical School Professor in

“One of the big results of this study is the heterogeneity of Long COVID: Long COVID is not just a syndrome; it is a syndrome of syndromes. Understanding this idea is really a key to doing more research and ultimately administering informed interventions.” step,” he added.

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The study begins enrollment of participants in October 2021. The researchers analyzed the results of a symptom survey distributed to 85 hospitals, health centers and community organizations in 33 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. More than 9,500 individuals completed the survey, including uninfected adults as well as individuals who had been infected with COVID-19 six months earlier. The survey, developed in collaboration with physicians and patient advocates, included 37 different symptoms and related measures of severity.

The results also suggest that re-infection, infection with the pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, and the absence of vaccination are associated with a higher frequency and severity of prolonged Covid, but the authors emphasize that continued Research is essential.