The different coronavirus variants may create various long COVID-19 symptoms, according to a new study.
Driving the news: The study — which will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2022) in April — found that each COVID-19 variant leads to different long-term COVID-19 symptoms.
- For example, the alpha variant of the coronavirus led to muscle aches and pain, insomnia, brain fog, anxiety and depression compared to the original strain of the virus.
- The study also found that those who suffered from severe COVID-19 were six times more likely to experience long COVID-19 symptoms, according to a press release on the study.
Top symptoms: The study said about 76% of patients reported at least one COVID-19 symptom that stayed with them after infection. Some of the most common symptoms included:
- Shortness of breath (37%)
- Chronic fatigue (36%)
- Sleep problems (16%)
- Brain fog (13%)
- Visual problems (13%).
The bigger picture: Long COVID-19 remains one of the most troubling aspects of a coronavirus infection as the virus continues to impact people’s lives well after their initial sickness wraps up.
- Researchers at the University of Cambridge recently found that about 70% of long COVID-19 patients struggle with neurological issues after infections.
- In fact, 75% of people infected with long COVID-19 symptoms can’t work because of how debilitating their symptoms are, as I wrote for the Deseret News.