The CDC’s list of COVID symptoms includes the things you’d feel—fever, chills, stomach distress—during the throes of the virus. Yet new research shows other COVID symptoms can last for months longer. “In the first study to show a conclusive pattern, researchers at North Bristol NHS Trust found that three quarters of virus patients treated at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital were still experiencing problems three months later,” reports the Telegraph.
Patients Had Breathlessness
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, so it’s not far-fetched to hear lung-scarring can occur. Yet there are other side effects that can also make breathing difficult. Dr. Scott Krakower told WBUR “the strangest thing about his illness was that he would seemingly start to recover, and then his symptoms would come roaring back worse than before.” “I would feel better for a period of like three or four days, almost to the point like I felt like the illness was gone, and then I rapidly deteriorated again,” he says. “And then out of nowhere, the whole thing spiraled down even more violent than the first time around. It was literally like my throat would start to swell and then I couldn’t talk.”
Patients Had Excessive Fatigue
This is the most commonly reported symptom of a COVID “long-hauler.” “Brain fog, fatigue, and difficulty in concentrating,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said at the International AIDS Conference. “So this is something we really need to seriously look at because it very well might be a post-viral syndrome associated with COVID-19.”
Patients Had Muscle Aches
“Although body aches are a common symptom of Covid-19, some patients are reporting severe joint and body pain, particularly in large muscles,” reports the NY Times. “Although it’s rare, Covid-19 can cause painful inflammation in the joints or lead to rhabdomyolysis, a serious and potentially life-threatening illness that can cause excruciating muscle pain in the shoulders, thighs or lower back.”
“Researchers at North Bristol NHS Trust found that 81 out of 110 discharged patients were still experiencing” these symptoms, reports the hospital. “Many were also suffering from poor quality of life compared to the rest of the population, struggling to carry out daily tasks such as washing, dressing or going back to work,” said Deputy Director of research and innovation at North Bristol NHS Trust Dr. Rebecca Smith.
“There are certain fundamentals,” says Fauci, “the staples of what you need to do … one is universal wearing of masks.” So do that, and avoid crowds, social distance, only run essential errands, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest. (Source: yahoo.com)
