Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : August 5, 2020 12:55 PM IST
In general, people in the severe clusters also tended to be older, frailer and have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or lung diseases.
It's official now. There are 6 different "types" of COVID-19. What's more, all have a distinct cluster of symptoms. A study at King's College London, came to this conclusion after they analysed data from the COVID Symptom Study app, which followed 1,600 patients in the UK and U.S. in March and April. The app asks people to log their health and symptoms on a daily basis.
The COVID-19 virus behaves in an unpredictable manner and the symptoms can be varied and confusing. These range from respiratory symptoms to gastrointestinal symptoms to neurological signs. Till now, it was difficult to predict which symptoms may lead to severe complications. But this study seeks to make it easier for doctors to predict who will need more care during the pandemic.
For the purpose of the study, the research team used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze the data and group the symptoms. They tested the algorithm by running a second set of data with 1,000 users in the UK, U.S. and Sweden who logged symptoms in May. Everyone who reported symptoms had a headache and loss of smell, and their cluster varied by other issues that aren't widely known as COVID-19 symptoms, such as abdominal pain or confusion. Importantly, researchers also saw that the separate clusters differed in severity and the need for respiratory support during hospitalization. The findings have major implications for clinical management of COVID-19 and could help doctors predict who is most at risk and likely to need hospital care in a second wave of coronavirus infections, they say.
If you know the symptom cluster, it will help you asses your risk of severe complications. Here are the six clusters.
Headache, loss of smell, muscle pain, cough, sore throat, chest pain, no fever
Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever, loss of appetite
Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, diarrhea, sore throat, chest pain, no cough
Headache, loss of smell, cough, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, fatigue
Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain
Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, abdominal pain
According to the researchers of this report, they saw that people in the three "severe" clusters were more likely to require oxygen or ventilation in a hospital. About half of patients in cluster 6 ended up in the hospital, as compared with 16 per cent of those in cluster 1. In general, people in the severe clusters also tended to be older, frailer and have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or lung diseases. Researchers say that this approach helps understand the unfolding story of this disease in each patient so they can get the best care.
(With inputs from Agencies)
