Filenews 7 April 2021
Symptoms of coronavirus that persist for several months include fatigue, headaches and hair loss, with doctors trying to address the problems left by long COVID-19 (more than four weeks) that can affect patients' quality of life.
According to Britain's official statistical authority (ONS), around 1.1 million people suffer from long COVID-19, with 35-69 year olds most affected, unable to carry out even daily activities.
Experts warn that even the healthiest and fittest person can experience such symptoms, which affect even young adults and children. However, statistics show that those most at risk for long COVID-19 are those with pre-existing health problems.
In addition, a greater prevalence of the situation is recorded among women, residents of deprived areas and healthcare workers. Indicatively, the proportion of people from deprived areas who reported symptoms of long COVID-19 is 2.1% as opposed to 1.4% in the most economically developed regions.
Symptoms of long COVID-19
Fatigue: Many studies have found that fatigue is the most common and annoying symptom of long COVID-19, with ONS data showing that 11.8% of patients lasted for five weeks after infection and 8.3% of them for 12 weeks. Some even reported suffering from fatigue even 100 days after the infection.
Headache and mental disorders: Headache is a common evidence of long COVID-19, affecting one in 10 patients up to five weeks after infection. US researchers also reported "neuropsychiatrical symptoms" - i.e. mental disorders associated with nerve diseases - in patients with long COVID-19. Headache held the highest proportion in this category of symptoms (44%) followed by the concentration disorder (27%) and loss of smell (21%).
Hair loss: Up to one in four people infected with COVID-19 reported hair loss in various studies and surveys. Experts say it may be a condition called "telogenous hair loss" and is usually due to diseases, stress, poor diet, pregnancy or menopause. On the plus side, this condition appears to be a short-term symptom of the disease, lasting about three months.
Shortness of breath: Difficulty breathing shows about a quarter of patients who have survived COVID-19, according to a US study. In 35% of patients, abnormalities in chest X-rays were observed up to 100 days after the disease due to coronavirus, while in 10% there was a decrease in lung function.
Cough: One of the most persistent symptoms of coronavirus is coughing, with 7-10% of patients suffering significantly.
Source: ygeiamou.gr
