BENGALURU: At a time when several people are reporting symptoms of Long Covid, a study by researchers from Italy has found that the symptoms may depend on the variant the person has contracted, and also the severity of the Covid-19 infection. Doctors from India agree with this, and say that several observational studies done by them, which are yet to be published, prove this, but there have been cases where the infection may be mild but Long Covid symptoms are serious.
The study will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2022) in Lisbon next month. Italian researchers suggested that individuals who were infected with the Alpha variant of the virus displayed various emotional and neurological symptoms, compared to those who were infected with the original form of SARS-CoV-2, says an early release from the ECCMID, regarding the study. The analysis also suggested that people with severe infection were six times as likely to report Long Covid symptoms.
The study found that of 428 patients tested, the most common symptoms found were shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, sleep issues, brain fog and visual problems. The researchers’ analysis suggested that individuals with severe cases, who required immunosuppressant drugs such as tocilizumab, were six times as likely to report Long Covid symptoms, and those who were treated with high-flow oxygen support were 40 per cent more likely to experience long haul symptoms.
Interestingly, in an observational study done by doctors at Manipal Hospital, they saw similar symptoms, and those with skin diseases saw a considerable increase in their conditions too. Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, renowned pulmonologist, HOD, Sleep Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, said, “We saw that if Covid was severe, then Long Covid is prolonged and challenging. Interestingly, even people with mild Covid who were in home isolation are reporting Long Covid symptoms, mainly insomnia and anxiety.”
He explained that skin issues like psoriasis, urticaria and lichen planus have remained for a longer time in patients who were infected during the Delta wave. “During Omicron, the most common symptoms have been dry cough, fever-like symptoms but with no high temperature, occurring mainly during late afternoon to evening,” he said.
Doctors in Karnataka have also seen cases where Tuberculosis in patients worsened post the Delta wave, and even those who had no history of asthma were found to have become asthmatic. Doctors appreciated the study and said that Indian researchers are also working on many Long Covid related studies, which are in the pipeline to be published. “Though certain benchmarks have been set to identify symptoms of Long Covid, more research needs to be done on Covid impact,” Dr Mysore said.