A little less than one-quarter of people who survived the coronavirus–from those who were hospitalized to those who were asymptomatic–have sought medical care for a group of symptoms, previously unexperienced by the patient, that appear to be common among people who were infected, the New York Times reports.

Based on an analysis of insurance claims data done by the nonprofit FAIR Health group, 23% of all coronavirus patients had a shared set of conditions and symptoms reported weeks or months after the virus cleared their systems.  These conditions can occur singularly or grouped with other symptoms.

The ongoing impact of the coronavirus on patients who have passed the two-week infection period demonstrates the widespread and long-term impact the pandemic will have on patients and the health system.

Patients’ most common new health problems were pain, including in nerves and muscles; breathing difficulties; high cholesterol; malaise and fatigue; and high blood pressure. Other issues included intestinal symptoms; migraines; skin problems; heart abnormalities; sleep disorders; and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

The study looked at the records of nearly 2 million patients who were diagnosed with coronavirus.  Half of those patients reported experiencing no symptoms.  Forty percent said they experienced symptoms that did not require hospitalization, including one percent who said their only symptom was the loss of taste and/or smell.  Only five percent were hospitalized.

Half of the people who were hospitalized reported ongoing issues, as did 27% of those who experienced minor symptoms and 19% of those who said they were asymptomatic.  The report found 594 patients who died of conditions brought on by the coronavirus more than 30 days after the typical two week infection period.

While the study grants that some of the conditions may have been discovered because some of the patients studied had not been to a doctor for an extended period prior to the pandemic, the parameters of the findings suggest that post-COVID syndrome will have a long-term impact on the population.

The report “drives home the point that long Covid can affect nearly every organ system,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of the research and development service at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, who was not involved in the new study.  “Some of these manifestations are chronic conditions that will last a lifetime and will forever scar some individuals and families.”