will be published at this year's European Conference on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal, which shows that the symptoms of related to long COVID may be different in people infected with different variants. This study was conducted by Dr. Michele Spinicci and colleagues from the University of Florence, Italy, and the University Hospital of Carriqui and his colleagues.
It is estimated that more than half of survivors of SARS-CoV-2 infection will experience acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), more commonly long COVID. This situation can affect anyone - whether it is an elderly or a young person, whether it is a healthy person or someone with underlying illness. It has appeared in people hospitalized for COVID-19 and those with mild symptoms. Despite the increasing literature, there is still little knowledge of long COVID.
In this study, researchers conducted a retrospective observational study of 428 patients -- 254 (59%) men and 174 (41%) women treated at the post-COVID clinic service at the Carricki University Hospital between June 2020 and June 2021, when the original form and alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 were circulating in the population. The patient was hospitalized for COVID-19 and went to the outpatient department for a clinical visit 4-12 weeks after discharge and filled out a questionnaire about persistent symptoms (mean ( median ) was 53 days after discharge). In addition, data on medical history, microbiology , clinical COVID-19 course and patient demographics were obtained from electronic medical records.
at least 3/4 of 325/428 (76%) patients reported at least one persistent symptoms. The most common reported symptoms were shortness of breath (157/428; 37%) and chronic fatigue (156/428; 36%), followed by sleep problems (68/428; 16%), visual problems (55/428; 13%), and brain fog (54/428; 13%).
analysis showed that people who need to take the more severe form of immunosuppressant are six times more likely to report long COVID symptoms, while those who receive high flow oxygen support are 40% more likely to experience persistent problems. Women are almost twice as likely to report long COVID symptoms than men. However, 2 diabetes patients with appear to have a lower risk of long COVID symptoms. The researchers noted that further research is needed to better understand this unexpected finding.
researchers conducted a more detailed assessment, comparing the symptoms reported by patients infected from March to December 2020 (when the original SARS-COV-2 was dominant) with those reported by patients infected from January to April 2021 (when Alpha was the dominant variant), and found substantial changes in patterns of nervous system and cognitive/emotional problems.
They found that when the alpha variant was the dominant strain, the incidence of muscle soreness, insomnia, brain fog, and anxiety/depression was significantly increased, while loss of smell, dysphagia and hearing impairment were less common. "Many of the symptoms reported in this study have been measured, but this is the first time they are linked to different COVID-19 variants. The long-term duration and widespread symptoms remind us that this problem will not go away and we need to do more to support and protect these patients in the long run. Future research should focus on the potential impact of the variants and vaccination status on persistent symptoms."
researchers acknowledge that the study is observational and does not prove causality, and that they cannot confirm which viral variant causes infection in different patients - which may limit the conclusions that can be drawn.
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