Prolonged Covid – the symptoms an individual has for weeks and months after recovering from the infection – is often accompanied by persistent fatigue. However, a new study has found that the set of symptoms associated with the disease is wider than previously thought.
Recently, it was discovered that long-term Covid-19 sufferers have suffered from hair loss and loss of libido, as well as erectile dysfunction in men, among other symptoms.
For the research, researchers at the University of Birmingham used anonymized health records of about 2.4 million people in the United Kingdom.
Some of the common symptoms have so far not been widely associated with long-term Covid, including erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, hair loss and sneezing. Other surprising findings include amnesia (loss of memories, such as facts, information, and experiences), apraxia (inability to perform familiar movements or actions), hallucinations, and limb swelling.
Prolonged Covid has been described as a "pandemic within a pandemic", with some studies suggesting that up to 40% of those infected with Covid-19 may have persistent symptoms long after the initial illness.
The most common symptoms of prolonged Covid are:
- tiredness
- shortness of breath
- pain or tightness in the chest
- problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- heart beat problems
- dizziness
Sources: Nature Medicine, CDC
