As revealed by a study carried out in United Kingdomthe “prolonged colds” They can be a problem causing symptoms that continue after the initial infection. Among the most common symptoms of so-called long-term colds are cough, stomach pains and diarrhea. The research was developed from questionnaires completed by 10,171 adults, both men and women.
The researchers behind this new study say the results provide validation for patients suffering from these problems. Adrian Martineau, researcher of the Queen Mary University from London told the BBC portal that “people can feel really exhausted after a virus. It is not something that is in your imagination, it is something recognized.”
On the other hand, the study, published in the digital journal of clinical medicine of The Lancetasked people to report any respiratory illnesses and other symptoms they had in the first two months of 2021, when the Covid pandemic was entering its second year, and the vaccination campaign had already begun.
But compared to those who had not recently suffered any respiratory illness, those who reported having had Covid, the flu or a cold in the previous weeks were more likely to experience hundreds of symptoms in the following month. These symptoms included: diarrhea, stomach problems, muscle or joint pain, difficulty sleeping, problems concentrating, dizziness, and cough.
People who had recently had Covid were more likely to report problems with taste and smell, brain fog, dizziness and sweating than people who had had long-term cold or flu symptoms. Additionally, postviral fatigue or other symptoms can affect people of any age.
The severity of the initial illness does not always predict risk: some people may feel very unwell at first but recover relatively quickly, while others who only felt mildly ill at first may then experience debilitating symptoms for a long time later. .
Giulia Vivaldi, principal investigator of the study, Queen Mary University of London, said: “Our findings shed light not only on the impact of long Covid on people’s lives, but also on other infectious diseases. Lack of awareness, or even the lack of a common term, prevents both the reporting of these conditions and their diagnosis.
“As research into long Covid continues, we need to take the opportunity to investigate and consider the lasting effects of other acute respiratory infections. These ‘long-lasting’ infections are very difficult to diagnose and treat, mainly due to the lack of diagnostic tests and because there are many possible symptoms,” concluded the specialist from the British university.
In the opinion of Peter Openshawprofessor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, The study is important because “it shows that recovery from an acute respiratory infection can be slow regardless of the causes, and people should expect a slow return to normality and not expect an immediate return to all their activities.”
He also warned that the term “long cold” should not be used to belittle the very significant disability suffered by some people with long-term Covid.. Paul Harrison, professor of psychiatry Oxford University, concluded that “the study supports previous findings that long-lasting symptoms are common after respiratory infections in general, and not only after covid.”
by RN
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