(KUTV) — A new study has identified dozens of long-term effects associated with the coronavirus.
Researchers found 55 long-term effects badly impacting different parts of the body. The five most common were fatigue (58%), a headache (44%), attention disorder (27%), hair loss (25%), and shortness of breath (24%).
The 22-page review showed at least 80% of people with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis continued to have at least one overall effect beyond a two-week time period. Read the study here.
Fatigue was the most common symptom; present even 100 days after the first symptom of coronavirus.
“Abnormal chest XRay/computed tomography (CT) was also identified,” according to the report.
The most common psychiatric conditions included insomnia and dementia. Researchers found hair loss, after having COVID-19, could be caused by stress.
They concluded hospitals and communities will need to start boosting their mental health resources.
“The recovery from COVID-19 should be more developed than checking for hospital discharge or testing negative for SARS-CoV-2 or positive for antibodies,” the report stated.
Another new study revealed the coronavirus may be causing the human body to attack itself setting itself up for an autoimmune disease later on in life.
An international team of researchers found the body may be making weapons to attack its own tissue. The study evaluated about 300 patients. Researchers used blood tests to study their immune response.
Nearly half of the patients had developed auto-antibodies, then compared them to those who have never tested positive for coronavirus.
A doctor out of Pennsylvania said this seems to give the virus a powerful advantage.
Researchers said it was too soon to tell, but in six-to-12 months they should know if these patients have developed an auto-immune disease.
They said their research, though, will take decades.
Overall, researchers found doctor follow-ups, physical therapy, and exercise can help lower the risks of long-term effects after a coronavirus diagnosis.
The initial report concluded: “More evidence and research from multi-disciplinary teams are crucial to understanding the causes, mechanisms, and risks to develop preventive measures, rehabilitation techniques, and clinical management strategies with whole-patient perspectives designed to address the after-COVID-19 care.”