Long COVID-19 symptoms may have other causes

Editor's Note

This study from France finds that persistent physical symptoms after COVID-19 infection should not be automatically ascribed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In this analysis of 26,823 adults, persistent physical symptoms (eg, fatigue, breathlessness, impaired attention, hearing impairment, sleep problems, anosmia) were reported by adults who said they believed they had COVID-19 infection.

However, laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infection was associated only with one persistent symptom, anosmia.

Of all participants, only 1,091 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

The researchers concluded that patients in this situation should be offered a medical evaluation to prevent their symptoms from being erroneously attributed to COVID-19.