Five Cluster Classifications of Long COVID and Their Background Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

    April 2023 in “ Clinical and Experimental Medicine ”
    Tomoya Tsuchida, Naohito Yoshimura, Kosuke Ishizuka, Kohta Katayama, Yoko Inoue, Masahiro Hirose, Yu Nakagama, Yasutoshi Kido, Hiroki Sugimori, Takahide Matsuda, Yoshiyuki Ohira
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    TLDR The study identified five types of long COVID symptoms and suggests tailored management strategies for each.
    A cross-sectional study at St. Marianna University Hospital in Japan analyzed 500 long COVID patients and classified them into five clusters based on symptoms: fatigue alone, fatigue with strong physical symptoms, fatigue with strong psychological symptoms, hair loss, and taste and smell disorders. Fatigue was the most common symptom, reported by 59.8% of patients, while hair loss was reported by 14.9%. Patients with fatigue were more likely to take leaves of absence from work, while those with hair loss or taste and smell disorders were more likely to continue working. Hair loss, a symptom of long COVID, typically starts 2 months after symptom onset due to telogen effluvium. The study suggests different management strategies for different long COVID sequelae phenotypes and emphasizes the need for a multifaceted approach, including psychological and social evaluation. The study's limitations include potential selection bias and the inability to evaluate patients with severe fatigue who couldn't leave their homes.
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      in Chat  10 upvotes 2 years ago
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