April 25, 2024

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Hair loss and sexual dysfunction added to list of symptoms of long-COVID along with fatigue and brain fog

Hair loss and sexual dysfunction added to list of symptoms of long-COVID along with fatigue and brain fog



 

Hair loss and sexual dysfunction added to list of symptoms of long-COVID along with fatigue and brain fog.

A new study finds that people with long-COVID-19 experience a wider range of symptoms than previously thought.

These symptoms include hair loss and sexual dysfunction.

The study found that patients with primary care records reported 62 symptoms significantly more frequently 12 weeks after their initial infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus) than those without the virus.

The report was published in  Nature Medicine on July 25, 2022 .

 

Hair loss and sexual dysfunction added to list of symptoms of long-COVID along with fatigue and brain fog

 

 

 

Researchers from the University of Birmingham joined a team of clinicians and researchers across England to analyse the anonymous electronic health records of 2.4 million people in the UK.

The research was funded by the UK’s National Institute of Health and Care and UK Research and Innovation.

Data collected between January 2020 and April 2021 included 486,149 people with previous infection and 1.9 million people who showed no signs of coronavirus infection after matching with other clinical diagnoses.

 

Using only data from patients who were not hospitalized, the team was able to identify three distinct categories of symptoms reported by people with persistent health problems after infection.

 

Symptom patterns tend to be categorized as respiratory problems, mental health and cognitive problems, and then broader symptoms.

While the most common symptoms include anosmia (loss of smell), chest pain, shortness of breath, and fever; other commonly reported symptoms include:

  • Nausea and vomiting;
  • Fever;
  • Erectile dysfunction;
  • Fecal incontinence;
  • Anhedonia;
  • Limb swelling.

 

Dr Shamil Haroon, Clinical Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Birmingham, is the senior author of the study. Dr Haroon said:

“This study validates what patients have been telling clinicians and policymakers throughout the pandemic that the symptoms of long-COVID are extremely broad and cannot be fully explained by other factors, such as lifestyle risk factors or chronic health conditions. “

“The symptoms we identified should help clinicians and clinical guideline developers improve the assessment of patients long-term impacted by COVID-19 and subsequently consider how best to manage this symptom burden.”

 

Patient partner and study co-author Jennifer Camaradou said: “This study helps to create and further add value to understanding the complexity and pathology of long-COVID.

It highlights the extent and diversity of symptom expression across clusters Sex. Patients with pre-existing health conditions will also welcome additional analysis of risk factors.”

 

People at increased risk

In addition to identifying a broader set of symptoms, the researchers identified key demographic groups and behaviors that put people at increased risk of developing long-term COVID.

 

Studies have shown that women, young adults; or people of black, biracial or other ethnicity are at greater risk of developing long-term COVID.

In addition, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, people who are overweight or obese, smokers, and the presence of a wide range of health conditions were all associated with reporting persistent symptoms.

 

Anuradhaa Subramanian, research fellow at the University of Birmingham’s Institute for Applied Health Research and lead author of the paper, said:

“Our data analysis of risk factors is particularly interesting because it helps us consider which factors may cause or contribute to long-term COVID-19 disease. We already know that certain modifiable characteristics, such as smoking and obesity, increase people’s risk of Risk of various diseases and conditions, including long-term COVID. However, other characteristics such as biological sex and ethnicity also appear to be important.

“For example, women are more likely to experience autoimmune disease. Seeing an increased likelihood of women with long-term COVID in our study increases our interest in investigating whether autoimmunity or other causes may explain the increased risk in women. These The observations will help further narrow the focus and investigate factors that may contribute to these persistent symptoms after infection and how we can help patients with these symptoms.”

 

Patient records from 2.3 million people allowed the team to capture post-SARS-CoV-2 infection at a unique point in the global pandemic.

The study focused on the first phase of the UK pandemic between January 2020 and April 2021 and gave scientists an opportunity to compare a large number of people infected with the coronavirus with a control group of uninfected people .

 

This interdisciplinary team, including epidemiologists, clinicians, data scientists, statisticians and patients, decodes electronic health records to accurately capture persistent symptoms that develop after infection.

 

Dr Shamil Haroon said:

“These results demonstrate both the opportunities offered by these public health datasets and the power of collaborative work to provide much-needed evidence around the experiences of the many people who experience persistent symptoms after contracting the coronavirus.”

“It is my hope that our study will also further validate the voices of patients and participating groups, and provide a way to support the healthcare response to new and emerging diseases.”

 

 

 

 

Hair loss and sexual dysfunction added to list of symptoms of long-COVID along with fatigue and brain fog

(source:internet, reference only)


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