Adenovirus (a highly contagious virus that causes lymphadenopathy, resulting in swelling of the neck glands. It is often accompanied by symptoms such as cold, pharyngitis, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, keratitis, or a combination of keratoconjunctivitis).
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LONDON — A recent study conducted in the UK has revealed that symptoms of a cold can persist beyond the usual duration of illness, suggesting the existence of “long colds” similar to “long Covid.”
Published in the scientific journal The Lancet, the study demonstrates that non-Covid infections can lead to a variety of illnesses over four weeks after the initial infection.
Based on the analysis of 10,171 participants, researchers at Queen Mary University of London have concluded that other respiratory infections, like the common cold, may have long-lasting health impacts that are often overlooked.
However, the study couldn’t determine if the symptoms of “long colds” would persist as long as those of “long Covid.”
The Lancet’s research introduction states, “Post-acute infection syndromes are not a new phenomenon; indeed, many cases of chronic fatigue syndrome are reported to follow an infection-like episode. Nonetheless, these syndromes often go undiagnosed owing to the wide range of symptoms and lack of diagnostic tests.”
While there are similarities between the symptoms of “long Covid” and “long colds,” individuals suffering from long colds experience fewer common post-Covid issues like taste and smell deficiencies and dizziness.
“Long Covid” refers to the range of mid- and long-term effects that can occur after a Covid infection, including fatigue, breathlessness, and cognitive dysfunction.
The term “long Covid” was coined in spring 2020 to describe individuals who did not fully recover for several weeks or months after their initial Covid-19 infection.
The World Health Organization defines “long Covid” as the continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months without any other explanation.
