Long Covid: What is it? What are the symptoms?

For some people, coronavirus can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone.

This is sometimes called post-Covid-19 syndrome or "long Covid".

The problem is continuing to cause serious issues worldwide for many who felt they were in the clear once said to have been recovered.

Prevalence of self-reported 'long Covid' in the UK

And now another 200 problems as diverse as hallucinations, inability to yawn or cry and decreased penis or testicle size have been identified as symptoms.

A new study by a team of researchers at University College London (UCL) who have all got or had long Covid themselves suggests long Covid may be causing more symptoms than previously thought.

The UCL study used data from 3,762 people from 56 countries and identified 203 long Covid symptoms in 10 organ systems.

It found the most common symptoms were fatigue, post-exertional malaise (the worsening of symptoms after physical or mental exertion), and cognitive dysfunction (brain fog).

• SEE ALSO: Covid symptoms that show you may have already had virus

The authors are now calling for a national screening programme for anyone who thinks they have long Covid.

These are some of the symptoms of long Covid identified in the new study from UCL…

Cardiovascular

Blood clots, fainting, high or low blood pressure, bulging or inflamed veins, fast heart rate.

Skin

Itchiness, brittle or discoloured nails, rashes, peeling skin.

Gastrointestinal

Constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting.

Head & throat

Facial paralysis/numbness, bloodshot eyes, ear and eye pain, hearing loss, conjunctivitis, runny nose, sore throat, vison loss.

Immune system

New allergies, shingles, changes in sensitivity to medication.

Musculoskeletal

Joint and muscle pain and aches, experienced by 69.1% of respondents.

Lungs

Breathing difficulty, shortness of breath, coughs.

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Reproductive

Abnormally heavy or irregular periods, decrease in size of penis/testicles, early menopause, post-menopausal bleeding.

Mood & emotion

Aggression, anger, anxiety, apathy, delusions, depression, euphoria, irritability, sense of doom, tearfulness.

Cognitive dysfunction

Confusion/disorientation, difficulty problem solving, poor attention, difficulty thinking.

Hallucinations

Visual, auditory, tactile and other hallucinations

Systemic

Fatigue, which was suffered by 98.3% of people with long Covid, chills, sweats, fever, post-exertional malaise, high or low blood sugar.

• ALSO: What is long Covid? What are the symptoms and treatment?

Headaches

Headaches were suffered by 76.7% of those surveyed, and ranged from migraines to pain in the temples, base of the skull, behind the eyes or all over the head.

Memory issues

Memory problems including forgetting how to do routine tasks, and short- and long-term memory problems. Short-term memory loss was experienced by 64.8% of respondents.

Sensorimotor

Inability to cry or yawn, dizziness, neuralgia, numbness, seizures, tinnitus, sensation of brain pressure or warmth, sensitivity to noise, tingling/prickling/pins and needles, tremors.

Sleep

Insomnia, sleep apnea, vivid dreams, nightmares, restless leg syndrome, waking early or during the night, waking unable to breathe. Overall, 78.6% of long Covid sufferers had a sleep problem.

Language & speech

Difficulty understanding others, difficulty reading and writing, slurring words, speaking unrecognisable words.

Smell & taste

Loss of or heightened smell and taste.