The most common symptoms that persisted beyond six months were fatigue, post-exertional malaise and cognitive impairment

An intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Argentina. (AP/Yonhap News)

A study of 3,762 people who contracted COVID-19 in 56 countries found over 200 different types of aftereffects, including 66 that persisted for months after the patients were infected.

An international research team from University College London (UCL) and elsewhere conducted an online survey of former COVID-19 patients around the world between September and November 2020 to investigate symptoms that persisted for 28 days or more.

The findings showed that the infection had effects on 10 bodily organs, with one-third of symptoms lasting for at least six months.

The researchers published their findings in the international journal “EClinicalMedicine,” the British newspaper The Guardian reported on Thursday.

The most common symptoms that persisted beyond six months were fatigue, post-exertional malaise and cognitive impairment.

According to the researchers, other frequently reported symptoms included visual hallucinations, tremors, itchy skin, menstrual cycle changes in women, sexual dysfunction, heart palpitations, bladder control issues, shingles, memory loss, diarrhea, tinnitus and visual impairments.

The researchers also found that some symptoms worsened over time, the newspaper said.

“After six months most of the remaining symptoms are systemic — things like temperature regulation, fatigue, post-exertional malaise — and neurological,” said Athena Akrami, a UCL neuroscientist who served as senior author for the study.

A total of 2,454 respondents, or 65%, said they experienced symptoms that persisted for six or more months.

“A lot of post-COVID clinics in the UK have focused on respiratory rehabilitation,” Akrami noted.

“It’s true that a lot of people have shortness of breath, but they also have a lot of other problems and types of symptoms that the clinics need to provide a more holistic approach to,” she said.

Akrami also said that she herself has been experiencing symptoms 16 months after being infected with the COVID-19 virus.

“There are likely to be tens of thousands of long COVID patients suffering in silence, unsure that their symptoms are connected to COVID-19,” she said.

The researchers called for state-level investigations to accurately assess the situation with long-term symptoms and develop appropriate treatment measures.

By Shin Gi-sub, senior staff writer

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