Long COVID: Only THESE 7 symptoms are the direct result of post-COVID condition, new study claims

Long COVID or post-COVID condition has been associated with a long list of symptoms. However, a new study has found that there are only 7 long-term health symptoms that are directly associated with long-COVID-19. These symptoms can interfere with your day-to-day functioning and you may not be able to function exactly like before your initial COVID infection. The findings can help researchers better understand how SARS-CoV-2 may mutate.

The researchers at the University of Missouri analyzed 52,461 patients' electronic medical records in the United States. All of the patients had been diagnosed with a COVID infection before April 14, 2022.

Researchers studied the top 47 most commonly reported health symptoms from long-COVID. They found only seven of the symptoms applied to a subgroup of infected adult patients. Following are the 7 symptoms, which can last up to a year.

This symptom includes feeling your heart beat rapidly or irregularly in your chest. You may also feel lightheaded or dizzy, especially upon standing.

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People can experience hair fall long after COVID, due to a condition called Telogen Effluvium. This can happen when your body is subjected to physical and emotional stress, such as while fighting a COVID infection. The stress from COVID shocks your body and disrupts the growth-rest cycle. This results in an increased shedding of hair.

This is one of the most common long COVID symptoms. Researchers in Iran undertook a meta-analysis covering 52 studies with 127,117 participants. They found that 42.5% of people who develop long COVID have chronic fatigue that can persist for months, despite medical care.

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Chest pain or chest discomfort is also a common symptom of long COVID. This type of pain can feel like the muscles in your chest are sore. It can hurt when you touch it and the pain gets worse from movements such as turning around or stretching.

Long after your initial COVID infection, you may find yourself catching your breath and feel short of breath more easily. This can happen even if you did not need treatment in hospital for COVID infection.

You may experience joint pain as a sign of long COVID especially if you were in hospital during COVID or less active than usual due to illness. This pain might go away on its own or sometimes it might carry on for longer.

According to the findings of a 2021 study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, long COVID syndrome could lead to an inability to perform daily home and work tasks. This can lead to an increased risk of obesity.