Evidence For 'Long Cold' Syndrome Discovered in New Study, Suggesting That the Chronic Condition Really Exists

A new study suggests that "long COVID" isn't the only thing to watch out for; there could be a chronic "long cold" syndrome as well.

Not Just 'Long COVID'

To date, over 770 million people have gotten infected with SARS-CoV-2. These numbers also show that tens of millions of individuals are dealing with the long-term effects of COVID, which is also called "long COVID."

Over 200 different long COVID symptoms have been studied in the past. The most common symptoms include cognitive difficulties, breathlessness, and fatigue.

The condition itself could be quite debilitating, as some need to cut down their hours of work or need to take a break from work as a whole.

However, a new study shows that this virus may not be the only one that leads to long-lasting effects and symptoms.

Long Cold

The new study compared the long-term symptoms that people with various acute respiratory infections reported. The researchers asked over 10,000 people to report regarding 16 symptoms that are typically present in long COVID. These symptoms include dizziness, pains and aches, and fatigue.

The researchers then compared the prevalence of these symptoms across three groups, namely, those who reported COVID, those who had a different acute respiratory infection but had negative test results for COVID, and those who did not have any of the two reported infections.

To focus more on long-term symptoms, the researchers only included those who experienced infections over four weeks earlier. They also factored in the general health condition and possible existing respiratory conditions of the people prior to the infection.

The study found that all the considered symptoms were common among those who previously experienced COVID compared to those who did not get infected, regardless of whether long COVID was reported. However, the finding itself was not exclusively found in COVID. Almost all the examined symptoms were also more prevalent among those with non-COVID infections in the respiratory tract compared to those who did not have any infections.

This hinted that "long cold" existed. This syndrome covers long-lasting impacts from other infections in the respiratory tract, such as pneumonia, flu, or colds, that are still unrecognized. Some of long cold's most common symptoms include stomach pain, diarrhea, and coughing. Such symptoms were reported roughly 11 weeks, on average, post-infection.

The research, however, does not shed light on why some individuals experienced these prolonged symptoms while others do not. The scientists also do not have any proof that long cold symptoms share the same duration and severity as long COVID.

Though the phenomenon of long-lasting consequences is not new, the lack of awareness and a label could affect the reporting and diagnosis of the condition. People who do report their symptoms may still struggle to be diagnosed due to the symptom's wide range and the insufficient tests for diagnosis.

Nevertheless, the study sheds light on how respiratory infections as a whole, not just COVID exclusively, could affect the lives of people.

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