Scientists researching the effects of long Covid have discovered hair loss and a reduced sex drive as two new symptoms of the virus.
The symptoms were discovered through a study at the University of Birmingham, where researchers analysed electronic health records of 2.4 million Brits including 486,000 who had caught Covid. The most common symptoms found by the study included the more widely known loss of smell, shortness of breath and chest pain, while others included loss of libido and hair, The Mirror reports .
With the Office for National Statistics estimating that two million people in the UK have had long Covid, studies are ongoing to understand how the virus can cause symptoms to last several weeks or months in some cases. An expert behind the new study said the findings confirm that the signs of long Covid are “extremely broad”.
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The study found that there were 62 symptoms in total that people who tested positive for the virus reported much more frequently 12 weeks after contracting the virus than those who hadn’t had Covid. Dr Shamil Haroon, senior author and associate clinical professor in public health at the University of Birmingham, said that the results of the study should be used to help those suffering from long Covid.
“This research validates what patients have been telling clinicians and policy makers throughout the pandemic - that the symptoms of long Covid are extremely broad and cannot be fully accounted for by other factors such as lifestyle risk factors or chronic health conditions,” Dr Haroon said.
He added: “The symptoms we identified should help clinicians and clinical guideline developers to improve the assessment of patients with long-term effects from Covid-19, and to subsequently consider how this symptom burden can be best managed.”
The current list of long Covid symptoms in full on the NHS website is as follows:
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extreme tiredness (fatigue)
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shortness of breath
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chest pain or tightness
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problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
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difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
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heart palpitations
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dizziness
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pins and needles
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joint pain
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depression and anxiety
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tinnitus, earaches
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feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
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a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
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rashes
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