New research has uncovered two more symptoms of long Covid that have been added to the list of warning signs.
Hair loss and reduced sex drive could mean that you are suffering from the long-term effects of Covid-19, according to scientists from the University of Birmingham.
The NHS list of recognised Covid symptoms includes fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, and brain fog. Now researchers claim that people with long Covid often experience an “extremely broader” variety of symptoms than previously thought.
The researchers analysed anonymised electronic health records of 2.4 million Brits, including 486,000 who had caught Covid-19 to determine if there were any symptoms that were not yet commonly known.
As well as the new symptoms, the research further highlighted the most common warning signs that include loss of smell, shortness of breath and chest pain, reports the Mirror.
Senior author Dr Shamil Haroon and associate clinical professor in public health at the University of Birmingham said that the findings could be hugely important as they could help inform how long Covid is assessed.
He said: “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.
“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.”
People who tested positive for the virus reported 62 symptoms much more frequently 12 weeks after initial infection than those who had not contracted the virus, the study found.
The Office for National Statistics estimates two million people in the UK have long Covid, but scientists are still trying to understand how disease causes the lasting symptoms.
Around 90 specialist long Covid clinics have been set up to tackle what experts fear will be a lasting health legacy of the pandemic.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
