A slight itching in the throat, heavy head, runny nose - what about the symptoms of coronavirus? A year ago these symptoms would have gone almost unnoticed. Today, of course, things are different. A sneeze panics the surroundings and immediately the torturous questions begin: “Where have I been in the last few days, how close have I been to people, what have I touched? Can I still smell and try? The truth is that I also have a little shortness of breath… "
Researchers and doctors are still trying to classify the symptoms that a coronavirus infection can cause.
Researchers at the Vienna University of Medicine have compiled a long list of symptoms, identifying seven different groups. The study was published in the journal Allergy.
The primary purpose of research is to learn how to identify "good" immunity after a coronavirus infection and how it can be calculated.
To this end, scientists led by infectious disease specialist Winfred Pickle and allergist Rudolf Valenta contacted 109 patients with coronavirus - that is, people who have overcome the infection and are being treated - and 98 healthy people.
Seven groups of symptoms
Using this database, the researchers were able to show that various coronavirus symptoms are related and occur in groups. They identified them as follows:
- Flu-like symptoms (with fever, chills, fatigue and cough)
- Symptoms of runny nose (with runny nose, sneezing, dry throat and nasal congestion)
- Pain in the joints and muscles
- Inflammation of the eyes and mucous membranes
- Breathing problems (pneumonia and shortness of breath)
- Gastrointestinal problems (including diarrhea, nausea and headache)
Loss of smell and taste
"In the latter group, we also found that mainly 'young' immune systems are affected by the loss of smell and taste," study leader Winfred Pickle told DW. A young immune system, however, is not calculated on the basis of the patient's age, but on the basis of the number of immune cells (T-lymphocytes).
At the same time, however, this does not mean that there can be no coexistence between symptom groups. However, there were links between the different groups and specific immune parameters: A course of the disease with high fever, for example, correlates with the body's immune memory and may indicate a relatively long-term immunity.
The coronavirus imprint in the blood
Using the blood, the researchers were able to identify some important markers COVID-19. They found that the disease COVID-19 leaves clear changes in the immune system after ten weeks - such as a fingerprint in the patient's blood, for example.
This could also be the reason why many patients feel inactive for a long time after being infected with COVID-19. In addition, the higher the patient's fever in a mild course of the disease, the longer his immunity to the virus appears to have been.