Long COVID sufferers are experiencing a broader array of symptoms than
previously thought, including hair loss and sexual dysfunction, as well
as fatigue, breathing difficulties and brain fog, according to new
research.
The British study, published Monday in Nature Medicine, found
that patients with previous infection from SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
reported 62 symptoms much more frequently 12 weeks after initial
infection than did people with no history of COVID-19.
The research also identified key demographic groups and behaviors that
seem to suggest which people are at increased risk of developing long
COVID, including women, younger people, and individuals of Black, mixed
or other ethnic groups.
Also, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, smokers, and people
who are overweight or obese, as well as individuals with a wide range of
pre-existing health conditions, were associated with persistent
post-COVID infection symptoms.
The research validates what patients have been telling clinicians
throughout the pandemic -- that the prolonged symptoms of long COVID
"are extremely broad and cannot be fully accounted for by other factors,
such as lifestyle risk factors or chronic health conditions," Dr. Shamil
Haroon, the study's senior author, said in a news release.
For the study, researchers from the University of Birmingham led a team
of clinicians and researchers across England, analyzing the electronic
health records of 2.4 million people in the United Kingdom.
Data were taken between January 2020 and April 2021 from 486,149 people
with prior COVID-19 infection and 1.9 million people with no indication
of it.
Looking at non-hospitalized patients, the team of researchers found
patterns of long COVID symptoms that tended to group into respiratory
symptoms, mental health and cognitive problems, and then a broader range
of symptoms as self-reported by people experiencing persistent health
problems after COVID-19 infection.
The scientists found the most common symptoms included loss of sense of
smell, shortness of breath, chest pain and fever, a news release said.
Other symptoms included amnesia, apraxia (the inability to perform
familiar movements or commands), bowel incontinence, erectile
dysfunction, hallucinations and limb swelling.
Haroon, an associate clinical professor in public health at the
University of Birmingham, said the researchers' expectation is that the
identified range of symptoms should help clinicians and clinical
guideline developers to improve the assessment of patients who have
long-term effects from COVID-19
Michael Burry, the fund manager of "The Big Short" fame, accused
Biden's 'Blurry Brain Fog' of moving the goalposts on what constitutes a
recession - and denying the US economy is days away from officially
being in one.
"The White House would like you to redefine a recession as one in which
consumers are not borrowing on credit cards to pay for inflation, and
neither is the labor force inadequate for the size of the economy," he tweeted
on Sunday.
"GDP out Thursday, not that there's anything wrong with that," Burry
added.
Burry attached a screenshot of a recent White House blog
post to his tweet. The post asserted that a recession isn't simply
two consecutive quarters of declining GDP; it's determined by a holistic
analysis of real income, real spending, industrial production, and
employment data.
The White House went on to brush off recession fears in its post. It
pointed to real income growing despite high inflation, thanks to a
historically strong labor market and ample household savings. Burry's
tweet indicates he took particular issue with that argument.
His view appears to be that Americans are racking up credit-card debt
to cover rising living costs, and unemployment is low because the
economy has outgrown the national workforce. His tweet also suggests he
expects GDP data on Thursday to confirm the economy is in a recession,
and he sees the White House's blog post as an attempt to deflect the
impending wave of criticism.
The investor and financial historian has previously warned that
consumers are saving less, borrowing more, and on track to virtually
exhaust their savings by Christmas, as they contend with higher
food, fuel, and housing costs.
He anticipates
the resulting slump in consumer spending, coupled with retailers
slashing prices to get rid of excess
inventory, will reduce inflation and sap economic growth later
this year.
Moreover, Burry has predicted
lingering shortages of unskilled and semi-skilled workers, which he
expects to contribute to higher
long-term inflation.
His stated concerns about consumer spending and labor shortfalls
underscore why he doesn't buy the Biden administration's claim that
incomes, spending, production, and employment data are in rude health,
and therefore a recession isn't on the cards.
Burry shot to fame after placing a contrarian
bet against the mid-2000s housing bubble, which was chronicled in
the book and the movie "The Big Short."
The Scion boss is also known for inadvertently contributing to the
meme-stock frenzy by investing in
GameStop, taking
short positions against Elon Musk's Tesla and Cathie Wood's
flagship Ark fund last year, and tweeting
bleak warnings that rampant speculation and skyrocketing asset
prices are inevitably followed by painful market crashes.