A person diagnosed with COVID-19 can have a wide range of symptoms that can last for weeks. And that condition is referred to as long COVID. While common symptoms of long COVID – brain fog, chest pain, tightness, among others – are known to many, there are some unusual symptoms, too.
“We know that the virus can affect the gut and intestine during the acute phase and indeed viral remnants can hang about in the intestine for a long time after the acute phase,” Dr Deepak Ravindran, the head of the Berkshire long COVID clinic, told Express.co.uk. He further explained that when the virus affects the gut nervous system, it can make it sluggish and can cause symptoms like nausea, pain, and bloating. It also affects the microbiome diversity which triggers these symptoms.
“A lot of these unusual symptoms can be understood better if viewed from the lens of the virus affecting the nervous system and immune system and impacting on them long term,” Dr Ravindran said. The virus keeps the immune system activated and hypersensitive. This can also trigger other symptoms such as rashes, hair loss, among others.
While bloating is an unusual symptom, there are other symptoms that are specific to the biological framework of a person. For instance, long COVID symptoms also cause disturbances in the menstrual cycle. Due to this reason, long COVID can also trigger an earlier onset of menopause like symptoms in a certain age group of women. These include skin rashes and episodes of hair loss.
As a general recommendation, people suffering from long COVID symptoms must be careful with their dietary consumptions and physical activities. It is required that a person has an immunity-rich diet with basic nutrients involved. Adequate rest and mild, regular exercise also helps in the long run.
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