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A new study from Queen Mary University of London, published in The Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine, has found that people may experience long-term symptoms — or ‘long colds’ — after acute respiratory infections that test negative for COVID-19.
Some of the most common symptoms of the ‘long cold’ included coughing, stomach pain, and diarrhea more than 4 weeks after the initial infection.
While the severity of an illness appears to be a key driver of risk of long-term symptoms, more research is being carried out to establish why some people suffer extended symptoms while others do not.
The findings suggest that there may be long-lasting health impacts following non-COVID acute respiratory infections such as colds, influenza, or pneumonia, that are currently going unrecognised. However, the researchers do not yet have evidence suggesting that the symptoms have the same severity or duration as long Covid.
The research, funded by Barts Charity, compared the prevalence and severity of long-term symptoms after an episode of COVID-19 vs. an episode of another acute respiratory infection that tested negative for COVID-19.
Those recovering from COVID-19 were more likely to experience light-headedness or dizziness and problems with taste and smell compared to those who had a non-COVID-19 respiratory infection.
While long Covid is now a recognised condition, there have been few studies comparing long-term symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection vs. other respiratory infections.
The study is the latest output from COVIDENCE UK, Queen Mary University of London’s national study of COVID-19, launched back in 2020 and still in follow-up, with over 19,000 participants enrolled.
This study analysed data from 10,171 UK adults, with responses collected via questionnaires and statistical analysis carried out to identify symptom clusters.
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