• People hospitalized for COVID-19 who have a higher number of symptoms are more likely to develop long COVID-19, according to a recent study.
• Specific symptoms during early infection, including vomiting, throat pain, and diarrhea, were also associated with long COVID-19 symptoms.
• Future studies are needed to determine if these findings also apply to people with mild COVID-19 who did not need hospitalization.

COVID-19 is associated with a host of symptoms, including breathing difficulties, fatigue, coughing, muscles aches, loss of taste and smell, and several others. A recent study found that people hospitalized for COVID-19 were more likely to develop long COVID-19 if they had a higher number of symptoms early on.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), long COVID-19 is a condition that develops after a COVID-19 infection that lasts four or more weeks. A person with long COVID-19 may continue to have symptoms of the virus or develop new ones.

Between 35 percent and 60 percent of people develop post-COVID-19 symptoms, and researchers are discovering that certain factors may increase a person’s chance of developing them.

Risk Factors for Developing Long COVID-19

For the study, researchers in Spain interviewed 1,969 people who’d been admitted to one of five hospitals in Madrid for COVID-19 between Feb. 20 and May 31, 2020. Participants were interviewed and asked about their post-COVID-19 symptoms an average of 8.4 months after they were discharged from the hospital.

According to the study, the factor most strongly associated with developing long COVID-19 was having a higher number of COVID-19 symptoms at the time of being admitted to a hospital.

Researchers also identified five symptoms that were most prevalent among those who went on to develop long COVID-19:

• Vomiting
• Throat pain
• Diarrhea
• Dyspnea (breathing difficulties)
• Headache

As with previous studies — which were generally smaller and had conflicting results — the researchers found that people with a higher risk for developing long COVID-19 include:

• Females
• Older people
• Those with more underlying health conditions (known as comorbidities)
• Those who stay in the hospital longer

Since this study included only people who’d been hospitalized with COVID-19, more studies are needed to see whether these findings are true for people who had mild or moderate COVID-19 and did not need to be hospitalized.

Vaccines Are the Best Prevention for Long COVID-19

Researchers are still trying to figure out why some people develop long COVID-19 and some don’t. For the time being, prevention is the best measure. According to the CDC, “the best way to prevent post-COVID conditions is to prevent COVID-19 illness. For people who are eligible, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you can is the best way to prevent getting COVID-19 and can also help protect those around you."

Other studies are starting to identify potential treatments that may help improve symptoms and quality of life, including medication, lifestyle changes, and alternative therapies.