Coronavirus: Study provides insight on who might be more likely to have long COVID

Long COVID is being researched intensively as researchers are mostly amazed about the occurrence and progress of the respiratory tract infection which lingers for up to weeks and months. Just when the world was grappling under the severe weight of COVID, long COVID posed a new risk. The condition which is also known as post-COVID is as medically challenging as the COVID and is worse as it stays with the individual for months. In some cases, long COVID conditions have remained for years as well.

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The occurrence of long COVID is neither linear nor is there any straight answer or explanation to it. While some who might have had mild COVID symptoms can experience serious long COVID symptoms and some people who have had severe COVID symptoms can have no long COVID symptoms at all.

From the reports and the several research studies, it can be said that the occurrence of COVID and long COVID are independent to each other though the latter usually follows the former.

A recent study by a group of researchers at Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California has shed light on who might be actually more prone to long COVID.

Using a sample representing the U.S. community population from the Understanding America Study COVID-19 Survey, the July 2022 study surveyed around 8000 respondents bi-weekly from March 2020 to March 2021.

"About 23% of the sample experienced new-onset symptoms during infection which lasted for more than 12 weeks, and thus can be considered as having long COVID," the study found.

The study found a link between obesity and long COVID and also found a direct association of few symptoms and occurence of long COVID condition. People who experienced symptoms like sore throats, headaches and hair loss are more likely to develop long COVID conditions later, the study found.

The study, however, could not find a link between long COVID and age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, current smoking status, or comorbid chronic conditions.

The reason long COVID is medically challenging is because it affects multiple major organs of the body and can put the body through several symptoms at a time for a longer duration.

For the study, the researchers surveyed the participants asking questions like “Have you been tested for coronavirus since the last time you took our coronavirus survey? If so, what was the result?” and “Whether or not you have had a coronavirus test, has a doctor or another healthcare professional diagnosed you as having or probably having the coronavirus since the last time you took our coronavirus survey?”

The participants were also asked to note symptoms like fever, chills, hair loss, diarrhea, etc.

The study found that there are several risk factors for long COVID.

It found that obesity is a potential factor for long COVID. People who were obese prior to the infection had a higher risk of developing long COVID than others.

About 23% (74 respondents) of the infected experienced at least one new-onset COVID symptom that lasted for at least 12 weeks, the study found.

The study found that the most commonly reported symptoms are fatigue, body aches, headache and cough. "Among the infected, more than half experienced fatigue (60%), body aches (56%), headache (55%), and cough (54%) at the time of infection," it says. Among other symptoms are a runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort.

The study examined a total of 18 symptoms in the survey:

• Fever or chills
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Chest congestion
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Sneezing
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue or tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Abdominal discomfort
• Vomiting
• Hair loss
• Dry skin
• Body temperature higher than 100.4 F or 38.0 C
• Diarrhea
• Lost sense of smell
• Skin rash

"COVID long haulers are more likely to experience hair loss, headache, and sore throat at the time of infection compared to their counterparts whose symptoms reduce more quickly. Also, those who are obese are at higher risk of experiencing new-onset persistent symptoms," the study says.