‘Long colds’ just as common as long COVID and can leave ‘prolonged symptoms’
‘Long colds’ can be just as common as long COVID, scientists have discovered.
A study found people experienced prolonged symptoms after having respiratory infections such as colds, flu and pneumonia – in the same way they might after getting COVID.
Common symptoms of a “long cold” include coughing, stomach pain and diarrhoea lasting for more than a month.
Long COVID patients were more likely to suffer lightheadedness, dizziness and problems with taste and smell.
They also experienced heart palpitations, sweating and hair loss.
Some symptoms overlapped, including breathlessness and fatigue.
Researchers at the Queen Mary University of London analysed data from 10,171 adults in the UK for the study, which has been published the The Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine journal.
The findings suggested “there may be long-lasting health impacts following non-COVID acute respiratory infections such as colds, influenza or pneumonia, that are currently going unrecognised”, they said.
However, more research is needed to establish whether the symptoms can last for the same or a similar duration to long COVID – and why some people suffer more than others.
Having a more serious illness can increase the chances of having long-term health issues, the study found.
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The data was collected as part of the university’s “Covidence UK” national study of COVID-19, which was launched in 2020.
Chief investigator, professor Adrian Martineau, said the findings could resonate with people who have struggled with long-term symptoms after having a respiratory infection, despite testing negative for COVID using a nose or throat swab.
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Long COVID to ‘damage multiple organs’
He highlighted the importance of ongoing research to help “get to the root of why some people experience more prolonged symptoms than others”.
“Ultimately this could help us to identify the most appropriate form of treatment and care for affected people,” he added.
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Long COVID: ‘I have lost my identity’
Lead author Giulia Vivaldi from Queen Mary University of London said: “Our findings shine a light not only on the impact of long COVID on people’s lives, but also other respiratory infections.
“A lack of awareness – or even the lack of a common term – prevents both reporting and diagnosis of these conditions.
“As research into long COVID continues, we need to take the opportunity to investigate and consider the lasting effects of other acute respiratory infections.
“These ‘long’ infections are so difficult to diagnose and treat primarily because of a lack of diagnostic tests and there being so many possible symptoms.
“There have been more than 200 (symptoms) investigated for long COVID alone.”
Thousands of people are battling the debilitating effects of long COVID after the pandemic
The study looked at people’s symptoms after their initial infection, using standardised questionnaires.
The longest time from initial infection to reports of ongoing symptoms was 37 weeks for non-COVID infections and 64 weeks for people with COVID.
Post-viral illness is not a new phenomenon, Ms Vivaldi added, but existing research has focused primarily on people who survived a severe infection, often having been hospitalised.
Long COVID has shown people can be plagued by lingering symptoms irrespective of the severity of their infection, she said.
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Around 1.9m people in the UK are thought to be living with long COVID.
A study in September found a third of long COVID patients sustained damage to multiple organs five months after infection.
Scans of patients who received hospital treatment for the virus showed higher rates of damage to the lungs, brain and kidneys.
Sky News’ technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe documented his struggle after suffering long COVID for more than 18 months.
He said the condition had ‘ruined his life’, leaving him with crippling fatigue and brain fog.
Research in January found long COVID sufferers who had a mild bout of the virus should expect their symptoms to resolve within a year.
An experimental drug offered the hope of significantly reducing fatigue in people with long COVID.
A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.
More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.
It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.
“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.
“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.
The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI
More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI
Various fires erupted across England this week amid uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions for the time of year.
On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.
Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”
Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week
Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.
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Wildfires spread across nature reserve
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.
The weather conditions triggered a “severe” wildfire rating for parts of the UK on Tuesday.
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