Different SARS-CoV-2 variants may give rise to different long COVID symptoms

New research to be presented in the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) suggests that the symptoms connected to long COVID could be different in people infected with different variants.

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), often known as 'long COVID', affects almost half of SARS-CoV-2 survivors. The illness can strike anyone, young or old, healthy or not. It has been seen in COVID-19 patients and those with minor symptoms. Despite growing research, extended COVID is still poorly understood.

Between June 2020 and June 2021, a research was conducted on 428 patients with the original SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha variant circulating in the population. 325/428 (76%) patients had at least one chronic symptom. Other complaints were shortness of breath (157/428; 37%), chronic fatigue (156/428; 36%), sleep issues (68/428; 16%), visual issues (55/428; 13%), and brain fog (54/428; 13%).

A detailed comparison of symptoms reported by infected patients between March and December 2020 revealed a significant shift in the pattern of neurological and cognitive/emotional issues. The researchers discovered that muscle pain, sleeplessness, brain fog, and anxiety/depression rose when the Alpha variation was prevalent, but the loss of smell, swallowing difficulty, and hearing loss decreased.

Source: The Lancet