Most common symptoms include fatigue, cognitive dysfunction Thousands of respondents said they continued to suffer for half a year LONDON: Long COVID has more than 200 symptoms that affect 10 organs, according to the largest global study yet of the condition. The study, led by researchers at University College London (UCL), identified 203 symptoms of long COVID — the catch-all term for the set of ailments that sometimes afflict people after the COVID-19 infection is over. Of those symptoms discovered, 66 can last up to seven months. The most common symptoms reported by thousands of sufferers were fatigue, cognitive dysfunction — sometimes referred to as “brain fog” — and brain post-exertional malaise, in which symptoms worsen after physical or mental exertion. Other less common symptoms reported included hallucinations, tremors, itchy skin, changes to the menstrual cycle, sexual dysfunction, heart palpitations, bladder control issues, shingles, memory loss, blurred vision, diarrhoea and tinnitus. The research team themselves all have or have had long COVID, and have called for an expansion of the clinical guidelines used by medical professionals to diagnose the condition. Tests are currently focused on the heart and breathing function, but the study’s authors believe neuropsychiatric, neurological and activity intolerance symptoms should also be included. The study included 3,762 participants from 56 countries. They were given surveys designed to profile their symptoms and the effect they had on their life, including on work, daily life and returning to good health. The vast majority — 3,608 people — reported symptoms that lasted beyond 90 days, and over 2,400 said they continued to suffer from symptoms for at least half a year. These symptoms have had a huge impact on the way long COVID sufferers have lived their lives since infection. Forty-five percent reported requiring a reduced work schedule, and 22 percent were not working at all at the time of the survey. Fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and breathing issues were all widely reported symptoms that were debilitating to living a normal life. “This is the most comprehensive characterization of long COVID symptoms so far,” said Dr. Athena Akrami, senior author of the study. “Along with the well-documented respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, there is now a clear need to widen medical guidelines to assess a far wider range of symptoms when diagnosing long COVID,” she added. “Furthermore, there are likely to be tens of thousands of long COVID patients.”