ARS TECHNICA – A study published Thursday in JAMA offers a hopeful small step toward understanding long COVID.
With data from 9,764 participants, researchers whittled down long COVID’s more than 200 symptoms to a weighted list of 12 core symptoms.
The study surveyed symptoms and conditions among people with a past SARS-CoV-2 infection (8,646 people) and those without (1,118).
Researchers looked at the frequency of each symptom identified and the symptoms that differentiated the infected from the uninfected.
They came to a core list of 12 symptoms and assigned each symptom a score that represented the odds of it being related to COVID-19.
The scores for each of the 12 symptoms ranged from 1 to 8, and the researchers added up the symptom points for each person in the trial.
Based on the spectrum of score totals seen among uninfected people, the researchers concluded that a score of 12 was a reasonable cutoff for determining if someone had long COVID.
Here is the list of 12 symptoms and their scores:
Symptoms ……. Score
- Loss of smell or taste ……. 8
- Post-exertional malaise (feeling tired after minor physical or mental activity) ……. 7
- Chronic cough ……. 4
- Brain fog ……. 3
- Thirst ……. 3
- Palpitations ……. 2
- Chest pain ……. 2
- Fatigue ……. 1
- Changes in sexual desire or capacity ……. 1
- Dizziness ……. 1
- Gastrointestinal symptoms ……. 1
- Abnormal movements ……. 1
- Hair loss ……. 1 | READ MORE.
[NOTE: Most of these so-called symptoms of long COVID are extraordinarily common conditions with many possible causes. – HEADLINE HEALTH]
