Researchers have identified more than 200 long-term symptoms that can affect COVID-19 "long haulers," or people who experience prolonged effects from the virus, according to a survey published Dec. 24 in the medical preprint server medRxiv.
Researchers polled 3,762 adults from 56 countries with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases. Respondents developed symptoms before June 2020 and experienced them for a minimum of 28 days.
Four survey findings:
1. In total, respondents identified 205 symptoms in 10 organs linked to the virus, including 66 symptoms traced over seven months.
2. The most commonly reported symptoms after six months were fatigue (77.7 percent), post-exertional malaise (72.2 percent) and cognitive dysfunction (55.4 percent).
3. Respondents who were l sick six months after symptom onset experienced an average of 13.8 symptoms.
4. Most respondents had not returned to full-time work due to their health issues.
The survey has not been peer-reviewed.