Long COVID-19 Symptoms Depend on COVID-19 Variant Contracted by an Infected Person - Study

Long coronavrius symptoms may be experienced depending on the COVID-19 variant that a person has contracted, according to a study that is set for presentation at the European Congress of Microbiology & Infectious Disease.

Italian researchers found in the study that those infected with the alpha variant of the virus displayed different emotional and neurological symptoms as compared to those infected by the original COVID-19 variant strain, according to a Fox News report.

Dr. Michelle Spinicci and colleagues from the University of Florence and Careggi University Hospital in Italy conducted a retrospective observational study of 248 patients.

The patients were treated at the Careggi University Hospital's post-COVID outpatient service between June 2020 and June 2021.

It was the period when the original form of COVID-19 and the Alpha variant were affecting the population.

Spinicci said that many of the symptoms reports in the study have been measured before, but it was the first that they found a connection to different COVID-19 variants.

Long COVID-19 Symptoms

Spinicci noted that much remains to be understood about long COVID in terms of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, according to a Med Scape report.

He added that findings in patients with long COVID were centered on neurological and psychological difficulties.

The lead researcher also pointed out that long COVID-19 symptoms are a huge area, which involves many different fields of medicine.

There is no single piece of advice to give when it comes to its management, saying that there is a lot to consider when evaluating long COVID patients.

The study showed that when the Alpha variant was the dominant COVID-19 strain, the prevalence of myalgia was at 10 percent; dyspnea was at 42 percent; brain fog and mental confusion were at 17 percent; while anxiety/depression was at 13 percent.

The original COVID-19 variant fatigue was at 37 percent; insomnia at 16 percent; dysgeusia was at 11 percent; and impaired hearing was at five percent, all compared to the Alpha variant.

Meanwhile, dyspnea, brain fog, myalgia, and anxiety/depression were less common.

COVID-19 Variant

A new strain has emerged known as the Omicron BA.2 variant. It does not appear to have many unique COVID-19 symptoms as compared to earlier COVID-19 variants, according to a Deseret News report.

Dr. Robert Quigley, an infectious disease expert and senior vice president of International SOS, said that it is hard to know what symptoms the new variant might bring based on the early data released so far.

Quigley said that the BA.2 variant is likely to cause mild symptoms in fully vaccinated individuals, while those who are not yet vaccinated may experience more severe symptoms.

He added that the BA.2 variant is becoming a more dominant strain of the virus. In addition, it can spread 1.5 times faster.

Dr. Celine Gounder, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said that people should take a COVID-19 test if they are worried about sniffles, a cough, or a stuffy nose that they are experiencing.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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