Even two years after the start of the corona virus epidemic, thousands of cases of COVID-19 are being registered everywhere around the world. With the rise of new variants of the infection, there has been a change in the symptoms of COVID. Initially, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) described its main symptoms as fever, cough, loss or change in the ability to smell or taste. Now recent guidelines from the NHS have also given information about other symptoms including swelling of the throat, stuffy or runny nose and headache.
What can be said about some of its more obscure signs and symptoms? From skin lesions to hearing loss, data is increasingly showing that the symptoms of COVID can be different from the common cold-cough or flu.
1. Skin Wounds
Skin complaints associated with COVID are not uncommon. Rather, a study published in Britain in 2021 found that only one in five patients had a skin rash and no other symptoms. Covid can affect the skin in many ways. Some people may experience a skin rash or rash while others may have a skin rash accompanied by irritation.
Most of the symptoms of skin-associated covid may disappear after a few days or in some cases after a few weeks without requiring any special treatment. If there is a lot of burning or pain in the skin, then you can see a dermatologist who can prescribe a treatment like a cream.
2. Covid Nails
During any infection, including SARS-CoV-2, our body naturally tries to tell how much pressure it is under. He may try to convey this in a number of ways, including through our fingernails. When there is a temporary blockage in the growth of nails due to physical pressure on the body, horizontal lines appear on the nails of the fingers.
Horizontal white lines appear on the nails due to abnormal production of protein in the skin under the nail. Data on symptoms associated with the nails of COVID is limited, but it is estimated that one to two percent of COVID patients may have it.
3. Hair loss
Hair loss is probably a minor symptom of COVID-19, which occurs a month or more after infection. A study of nearly 6,000 people who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 found that around 48 percent reported hair loss as the most common problem following a coronavirus infection. It lasted longer in people who were severely infected.
4. Hearing loss
As with other infections, including the flu and measles, COVID has been shown to affect the inner ear cells, causing hearing loss or tinnitus, a persistent feeling of ringing in the ear. In a study conducted on about 560 people, it was found that 3.1 percent of COVID patients lost their hearing while 4.5 percent had tinnitus.
Why all these symptoms?
We do not understand exactly why these symptoms appear, but in fact inflammation has a lot to do with it. Inflammation acts as our body’s natural defense system against pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. It produces proteins called cytokines, which are important in controlling the activity of immune cells.
Overproduction of these proteins, a form of inflammation caused by the corona virus, can cause hearing loss or tinnitus in some people. It can also block the very small blood vessels that carry blood to other organs, including the ears, skin and nails.