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A slight itch in the throat, heavy head, runny nose – what about the symptoms of the coronavirus? A year ago these symptoms would have gone almost unnoticed. Today, of course, things are different. A sneeze fills the surroundings with panic and the tortuous questions immediately begin: “Where have I been in the last few days, how close have I been to people, what have I touched? Can I still smell and taste? The truth is that I also have a little shortness of breath … “
Researchers and doctors are still trying to classify the symptoms that a coronavirus infection can cause.
Researchers at the Vienna Medical University have compiled a long list of symptoms, identifying seven different groups. The study was published in the journal Allergy.
The main goal of the research is to learn how to identify “good” immunity after a coronavirus infection and how it can be calculated exactly.
To that end, scientists led by infectious disease specialist Winfred Pickle and allergist Rudolf Valenta contacted 109 coronavirus patients, that is, people who have recovered from the infection and are undergoing treatment, and 98 healthy people.
Seven groups of symptoms
Using this database, the researchers were able to show that various coronavirus symptoms are related and occur in groups. They identified them as follows:
- Flu-like symptoms (with fever, chills, fatigue, and cough)
- Symptoms of a runny nose (with a runny nose, sneezing, dry throat and nasal congestion)
- Pain in the joints and muscles.
- Inflammation of the eyes and mucous membranes.
- Breathing problems (pneumonia and shortness of breath)
- Gastrointestinal problems (including diarrhea, nausea, and headache).
Loss of smell and taste
“In the latter group, we also found that primarily ‘young’ immune systems are affected by loss of smell and taste,” study leader Winfred Pickle told DW. , but depending on the number of immune cells (T lymphocytes).
However, at the same time, this does not mean that there cannot be coexistence between groups of symptoms. However, there were links between the different groups and specific immune parameters: a disease course with high fever, for example, correlates with the body’s immune memory and may indicate relatively long-term immunity.
The imprint of the coronavirus in the blood
Using the blood, the researchers were able to identify some important markers for COVID-19. They found that COVID-19 left clear changes in the immune system after ten weeks, like a fingerprint on a patient’s blood, for example.
This could also be the reason why many patients feel inactive for a long time after being infected with COVID-19. Also, the higher the patient’s fever in a mild course of illness, the more immunity to the virus appears to have been.
Source: DW
