Different SARS-CoV-2 virus variants cause different long-term COVID symptoms

A new study presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Lisbon, Portugal, 23-26 April 2022 suggests that symptoms associated with long COVID may differ among people infected with different variants

It is estimated that more than half of survivors of SARS-CoV-2 infection experience the acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), more commonly known as "long COVID"

For the study, researchers conducted a retrospective observational study of 428 patients, 254 (59%) men and 174 (41%) women who were in Carridge between June 2020 and June 2021 Treatment at the COVID-19 Sequelae Clinic at the University Hospital when the original forms of SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha variant were circulating in the population

At least three-quarters of 325/428 (76%) patients reported at least one persistent symptom

The analysis showed that more severe patients requiring immunosuppressive drugs such as tocilizumab were six times more likely to report long COVID symptoms, and those receiving high-flow oxygen support were 40 percent more likely to have persistent problems

The researchers conducted a more detailed assessment, comparing reported patient-reported infections between March and December 2020 (the initial SARS-COV-2 predominance) and January to April 2021 (the alpha predominance).

They found that when the Alpha variant predominated, the prevalence of myalgia (muscle pain), insomnia, brain fog and anxiety/depression was significantly increased, while anosmia (loss of smell), dysgeusia (dysphagia) and hearing Damage is less common

Dr Spinage said: "Many of the symptoms reported in this study were measured, but this is the first time they have been linked to different COVID-19 variants

The authors acknowledge that the study is observational and does not prove cause and effect, nor can they be sure which variant of the virus caused infection in different patients -- which may limit the conclusions we can draw