Are there really "dry rice strains" and "sleepy strains"? Are these symptoms caused by the new coronavirus?

Written by | Skin

Proofreading | Ah Xian

Online, people infected with the coronavirus have given their condition a number of names:

If you suddenly start studying after having a fever, it is called the "study strain"; if you have a bigger appetite than before, it is the "gluttony strain"; of course, it is more likely to be the "fatigue strain" that makes you easily tired and have difficulty concentrating.

? So many strains | Weibo screenshot

In addition to the obvious symptoms we are all familiar with: fever, cough, sore throat and nasal congestion, some people may find that there seems to be something wrong with other parts of their bodies. So, are these symptoms caused by the new coronavirus?

In October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) established a definition in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: long Covid (also known as long Covid, post-Covid symptoms). [1] It is used to explain symptoms that appear within three months after infection with Covid, which may last for up to two months and cannot be explained by other diseases.

In addition to WHO, the UK NICE and the US NIH have both given definitions of "long Covid"

However, the term "long Covid", like what people call "gluttonous strain", also appeared on the Internet at the beginning, so there are different opinions on its definition. Some people say that this is the "sequelae" of the new crown, but it does not actually last that long and is not enough to affect life; different institutions have also given different definitions.

The controversial point is that the data currently obtained by researchers is actually based on the collection of patients' own reported illnesses, and some evidence may not be reliable. "Every infectious disease has common and uncommon manifestations," said Mark Mulligan, an infectious disease expert at New York University. "We don't know everything about the new coronavirus yet."

A study published in The Lancet collected symptoms of more than 60,000 British patients between June 2021 and January 2022 [2]. The report found that in addition to the headaches, sore throats and coughs that most people experienced, some people did have other symptoms, including brain fog, rashes, joint pain, eye pain, hair loss, etc.

===================================================

The disease is cured, but not completely cured...｜Giphy

Half of the patients in the survey were infected with the Delta variant and half with the Omicron variant. However, the study did not clearly compare the symptoms of the Omicron and Delta variants, but only mentioned that the symptoms of the two types of infections were slightly different, and those infected with Omicron were more likely to have hoarseness.

In an article in June 2022, researchers from King's College London first mentioned the long Covid symptoms caused by Omicron [4]. The study found that Omicron's chance of developing long Covid seemed to be lower than Delta, and it was also related to vaccination status.

In a survey of 60,000 British patients, a small number of patients reported their "strange" symptoms (upper left corner of the picture) | Reference 2

Another survey of 600,000 people in the UK[3] found that many people felt tired and had chest tightness, and a small group of people also experienced some strange symptoms, such as blisters on their feet.

One symptom reported by a small number of people is called "hairy tongue," which, as the name suggests, means that the tongue feels hairy and not clean. There may also be inflammation and swelling. Others may feel tingling on the skin, which may be inflammation caused by the immune process.

The "Covid toes" that were once popular on the Internet refer to frostbite and rash that occurred after infection. This has also sparked some discussion and research, but people have not found an obvious connection between them. They just speculated that perhaps the disease caused poor blood circulation.

In addition, the cause of hair loss after illness is still unclear. However, dermatologists at the Cleveland Clinic believe[6] that many physical and emotional problems can cause hair loss, so there is no need to panic.
Among the many symptoms, fatigue seems to be a more common condition. After being infected with the new coronavirus, some people report that they experience physical, mental and emotional fatigue, including drowsiness, weakness, inattention or emotional disorders.

A review article in 2021 collected 12 literature reports related to "COVID-19" and "fatigue" [5]: It seems that there are quite a few people who feel fatigued after infection, with 13% to 33% of people feeling fatigued within 16 to 20 weeks of symptoms.

However, there is no detailed explanation for why people feel tired. These symptoms sometimes do not seem to be very serious, but they should not be ignored. Some people have found that if you feel severe fatigue during the long Covid period, it seems to be similar to the "chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)" that existed before the pandemic.

In fact, feeling tired is not unique to COVID-19. In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association[8], the author mentioned that fatigue symptoms have also occurred after other viral and bacterial infections in history (such as Ebola virus and Epstein-Barr virus).

CFS can occur after a viral infection, a serious illness, or a car accident, or it can develop gradually, making people feel tired. Over time, it can also lead to more serious health problems. Fortunately, most people in the current survey may only feel short-term fatigue and will not develop CFS.

But despite this, it is also necessary to recover from fatigue after illness as soon as possible. It is better to adjust the rhythm of life, maintain adequate sleep, eat nutritious food, avoid sitting for a long time, and exercise a little.

Personally tested, long-term sitting and looking down at your phone also affect your mental state | I took a screenshot myself

In addition, the World Health Organization also pointed out that in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression increased by 25% worldwide [9]. In addition to health problems, the loneliness during isolation and the impact on daily life are likely to cause us mental health problems.

Therefore, it is important to rest, live a healthy life and remain patient. If more serious symptoms occur that are difficult to self-regulate, don't forget to seek medical attention in time.

References

[1] Soriano, Joan B., et al. "A clinical case definition of post-COVID-19 condition by a Delphi consensus." The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2021).

[2] Menni, Cristina, et al. "Symptom prevalence, duration, and risk of hospital admission in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 during periods of omicron and delta variant dominance: a prospective observational study from the ZOE COVID Study." The Lancet 399.10335 (2022): 1618-1624.

[3] Whitaker, Matthew, et al. "Persistent COVID-19 symptoms in a community study of 606,434 people in England." Nature communications 13.1 (2022): 1-10.

[4] Antonelli, Michela, et al. "Risk of long COVID associated with delta versus omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2." The Lancet 399.10343 (2022): 2263-2264.

[5] Sandler, Carolina X., et al. "Long COVID and post-infective fatigue syndrome: a review." Open forum infectious diseases. Vol. 8. No. 10. US: Oxford University Press, 2021.

[6] 'What to Do if You're Experiencing Hair Loss After Covid', https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/30/well/live/hair-loss-covid.html
[7] Sharma, Anukriti, et al. "Impacts of COVID-19 on glycemia and risk of diabetic ketoacidosis." Diabetes (2022).
[8] Hanson, Sarah Wulf, et al. "Estimated global proportions of individuals with persistent fatigue, cognitive, and respiratory symptom clusters following symptomatic COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021." JAMA 328.16 (2022): 1604-1615.
[9] https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide

Source: Guokr