A study conducted in the UK has revealed that symptoms of a common cold can persist well beyond the initial period of illness, similar to the phenomenon observed in “long Covid.”
Published on Friday in The Lancet, the study indicated that infections unrelated to Covid-19 may lead to a variety of symptoms lasting more than four weeks after the initial infection.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London examined 10,171 participants and suggested that there could be enduring health consequences from respiratory infections like the common cold that have not been fully recognized.
While drawing parallels with “long Covid,” the study did not definitively establish whether the symptoms of “long colds” would endure as long as those of “long Covid.”
“Post-acute infection syndromes are not a new phenomenon; indeed, many cases of chronic fatigue syndrome are reported to follow an infection-like episode.
Nonetheless, these syndromes often go undiagnosed owing to the wide range of symptoms and lack of diagnostic tests,” noted the research introduction on The Lancet’s website.
Although similarities were observed between the symptoms of “long Covid” and “long colds,” issues typically associated with post-Covid conditions such as taste and smell disturbances and dizziness were less frequently reported among individuals experiencing prolonged cold symptoms.
The term “long Covid” emerged in spring 2020 to describe a spectrum of medium- and long-term effects that can manifest after a Covid-19 infection, including fatigue, breathlessness, and cognitive impairment.
Defined by the World Health Organization as symptoms persisting or emerging three months after the initial infection, and lasting for at least two months without other explanation, “long Covid” has underscored the complexities of post-viral health impacts.
