After long Covid, now also comes the “Long cold”

THEL long Covidor the prolongation of some specific symptoms even once the disease has been defeated, it is not the only possible “long”.. A study by Queen Mary University of London, published in EClinical Medicine journal, published by The Lancetreveals, in fact, that the “long cold”. This would be a series of symptoms that last for several weeks and could have a long-term impact on health afterwards acute respiratory infections such as colds, flu or pneumonia, but who test negative for Covid-19.

In addition to long Covid, there is the long cold

Among the most common symptoms that characterize long colds are cough, stomach pain and diarrhea which would last more than 4 weeks after the initial infection. The research compared the prevalence of long-term symptoms after an episode of COVID versus another acute respiratory infection, analyzing data from 10,171 adults.

The symptoms studied

The study, as the author Giulia Vivaldi explained, investigated 16 different symptoms reported in long Covid: excessive cough, sleep disorders, memory disorders and difficulty concentrating. Then muscle or joint pain, taste or smell disturbances, diarrhea, abdominal pain. And finally, changes in voice, hair loss, unusual fast heartbeat, fainting or dizziness, unusual sweating, shortness of breath, anxiety or depression, and fatigue.

The difference between long Covid and long cold

The final results showed that people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, or prior non-Covid acute respiratory infections (ARI), were both more at risk of reporting symptoms than people with no reported infections. The difference between the two diseases that has emerged and that, while those who recovered from Covid were more likely to maintain all the symptoms examined, people with non-Covid infections almost all showed the same symptoms. That is, excessive coughing and gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhea and abdominal pain that lasted for a long time on average 11 weeks after recovery from the infection.

Further studies needed

Naturally it will be necessary to proceed with the studies, also because for now, the author of the study always explains, there is still no definitive evidence that these “long colds” have similar severity and duration to “long Covid”. While waiting to answer similar questions, doctors recommend some practices prevention which we have now come to know well. In fact, you need to wash your hands frequently and cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, get vaccinated against seasonal flumaintain social distancing where possible and, in crowded places such as the subway or bus, consider using masks.

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